Carolina Panthers

Some random dude in Nashville got on one knee to propose to his girlfriend ... and none other than NFL Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen was there to capture the whole thing on his phone!!!

Now, the Carolina Panthers star didn't know the couple before the magical moment ... but that didn't keep him from absolutely losing it with excitement when he finds out the girlfriend said "YES."

"Did she say yes??" Olsen asks ... "I got it on video, dude. I'm gonna send it to you!!"

The whole thing is kinda funny -- you can tell the future groom is super excited about the engagement ... but seems a little confused about why this 6'6", 255-pound man is shooting the whole thing.

Don't worry, after some celebratory kissing with his wife-to-be ... the dude seems grateful Olsen got the whole thing on video ... saying "oh my God, you're my hero!"

"This is the best thing I've ever witnessed," Greg told the couple ... "Dude, I am so sending this to you!!!"

Olsen explained why he whipped out his phone and captured it ... saying "I wish I had my engagement on video, so I pull my phone out and capture it. Glad I did even though I didn’t know who they were!"

3:19 PM PT -- ROD SMART HAS BEEN FOUND SAFE!!

Family and police sources tell us Smart has been located and he's safe.

We're told Smart is surrounded by family and in the process of getting professional treatment.

Story developing ...

Rod Smart -- who shot to fame in the XFL using the nickname "He Hate Me" -- has gone missing and his family is extremely worried for his safety.

The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina has issued a Missing Person Advisory -- noting 42-year-old Smart was last seen on June 12 around 10:30 AM.

Cops say his family is "worried about his safety and well-being" -- adding, "It is unusual for him to be out of touch for this long."

He was last seen driving his silver 2016 Nissan Maxima with North Carolina tags.

Rod Smart -- real name Torrold Smart -- was a star running back at Western Kentucky back in the day ... and joined Vince McMahon's XFL football league when he wasn't selected in the NFL Draft.

In 2001, Smart was signed by the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws -- which encouraged players to select a fun WWE-style nickname to rock on their jerseys ... and Smart famously picked, "He Hate Me."

Why the nickname? Smart told reporters at the time, "Basically, my opponent is going to hate me. After I win, he's gonna hate me."

Smart was so good in the XFL, he got looks from NFL teams and eventually signed with the Carolina Panthers ... where he played from 2002 to 2005.

After his football career, Smart reportedly worked as a personal trainer and a high school guidance counselor.

It's GREAT to be Cam Newton these days ... dude just officially opened up his own cigar shop -- AND he's having another baby!!!

Oh, and his hat game is still as strong as ever!!!!

The Carolina Panthers superstar was out in Atlanta on Thursday flaunting how amazing his life is ... posing with his mom and brother for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for "Fellaship"

It's a bar/lounge/club that's supposed to be awesome -- a cool hangout spot for drinks and cigars ... and Cam's been stoked about it for months.

Newton -- as always -- was dressed to the nines, rockin' an awesome hat and a fitted suit for its official opening ... and the place already looks like a hit, receiving tons of great reviews.

It's just the latest cool moment for the QB ... the NFL superstar's girlfriend announced just hours before the ceremony began that the couple is expecting their fourth child.

Cam's shoulder also seems to be doing better after the offseason surgery ... he had no problems moving around the venue with all his friends and fam.

Cam Newton says giving up sex will make him a better QB ... so the Carolina Panthers superstar is done with it!!!

For real!!!

Newton went on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" and -- in the process of explaining why he's going vegan -- he dropped a bomb saying he's done banging!!

"I hope this is an adult crowd, it looks like it is," Newton says ... "No climax."

So, why?!?!

Cam says it's all part of a master plan to have a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2018.

The QB tells Corden he's taking on a different challenge every month -- it started with no gambling in January, no meat in February and now no sex OR WiFi in March -- in order to be mentally tougher.

"It makes my mind stronger," Cam explains ... "I feel like if I go back and I say I did those things, I'm mentally stronger."

The good news for Newton (and his GF)? He says the no-sex rule plan -- for now -- is only in place for one more week.

Carolina Panthers lineman Taylor Hearn is breaking his silence on his Georgia street fight captured on video -- saying he takes "full responsibility" and will use the incident as a learning experience.

"‘Dear Panther Nation: I would like to offer my deepest apologies to the Panthers organization, my teammates and coaches, the fans and the league," Hearn said in a statement.

"I take full responsibility for my actions. There is no excuse for my behavior, and I will learn from my mistakes.''

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Hearn got into an altercation with several men on March 14 outside of a bar in Augusta, Georgia -- and was ultimately knocked out by a much smaller man.

Hearn -- a 6'4", 315-pound guard -- had been shoving people in the street and acting like a jerk after being kicked out of the bar earlier that evening.

Earlier this week, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton told us the situation was "unfortunate" -- but he hadn't spoken with Hearn at that point.

23-year-old Hearn signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2018 after playing his college ball at Clemson.

During his college career, Hearn won a national championship while protecting Deshaun Watson.

How does Cam Newton feel about his Carolina Panthers offensive lineman, Taylor Hearn, getting knocked out in a street fight?

Exactly how you think he would feel ... telling TMZ Sports, "It's unfortunate."

Cam didn't wanna get too into the situation involving Hearn ... but noted he hasn't spoken with the 23-year-old since the incident.

We broke the story ... Hearn -- 6'4", 315 pounds -- tried to fight several people outside of a bar in Augusta, Georgia ... only to get KO'd by a guy half his size.

The one thing Cam DID want to talk about ... HATS!!!

Turns out, Newton is a part owner of the Meshika hat company -- where our photog, Charlie, gets all his cool headwear and the two talked about their obsession with lids!

In fact, Cam told us he's got roughly 50 HATS from legendary hat maker Alberto Hernandez -- and he still remembers the very first one he ever bought!

The hat obsession ain't cheap -- some of Alberto's hats can run upwards of $1,800!!

12:46 PM PT -- The Carolina Panthers have released a statement about Taylor Hearn, saying ... "We are aware of the video, and have been in contact with Taylor and the league about the incident. We will have no further comment at this time."

Carolina Panthers guard Taylor Hearn had a rough night in Augusta, Georgia ... getting knocked out cold in a brutal street fight captured on video.

Here's the deal … Hearn -- 6’4”, 315 lbs. -- was outside of a bar Thursday night when he got into it with a couple of guys on the street.

Clearly, the massive Hearn thought he’d be able to bully these guys around, due to his giant size and NFL strength, but he learned very quickly he was wrong. After some verbal insults and tussling, one of the guys on the street cracked Hearn with a straight right to the face that dropped the lineman like a sack of potatoes.

Hearn eventually gets up and appears to be okay ... even starting to fight again. Witnesses tell TMZ Sports cops arrived at the scene a short time later ... but Hearn was not arrested. In fact, we’re told no one was arrested.

Hearn -- who’s 23 years old -- was a lineman at Clemson and won the 2016 National Championship at the university (he started all 15 games that season) before signing with the Panthers in 2018. Hearn played in 4 games ... protecting Cam Newton.

We reached out to Hearn’s rep ... so far, no word back.

Cam Newton got his first-EVER tattoo earlier this week on his left hand ... but the Carolina Panthers superstar played it cool leaving the shop -- hiding the new ink in his swaggy jacket!!

TMZ Sports has learned Cam hit up Bang Bang Grand in New York City to get the piece done ... and, per a source, the art is engraved somewhere on his non-throwing hand. You can see the bandage in the post-sesh pic he took with his tattoo artist, Bang Bang.

But, the QB ain't ready to show off the work just yet ... and the tattoo shop tells us, "it's not our place to reveal tattoos."

Still ... Newton getting ink is a big deal -- remember, ex-Panthers owner Jerry Richardson reportedly forbade the QB from ever getting a tat in order to keep up a wholesome image.

But, Cam shot that all down on social media Thursday ... writing, "Big lies! He never said I could not get a tattoo or grow my hair. I was free to do whatever I wanted to do!"

"I should have said something the first time this came out years ago but I can not let this fly this time!"

It all begs the question ... what DID Cam get for his first-ever tat?!?!

Nick Cannon says he has no doubt the NFL's random drug testing of Eric Reid before and after games is the league's way of messing with the DB ... saying, "It's f*cked up."

Reid was randomly selected to pee in a cup for the 7th time this season after the Panthers' loss to the Saints on Monday night ... and the dude was pissed about it afterward.

"I've been here 11 weeks, I've been drug tested seven times. That has to be statistically impossible. I'm not a mathematician, but there's no way that's right."

Enter Cannon ... who tells TMZ Sports he "absolutely" thinks the tests are the NFL's way of getting back at Reid for supporting Colin Kaepernick in his kneeling protests.

"I think it's f*cked up," the actor said outside of Ace of Diamonds.

For his part ... Eric says he'll be using the tests as part of his collusion case against the NFL.

The other side of the coin ... the drug testing is conducted by an independent company hired jointly by the NFL and the NFL Player's Association. Point being, the players had some control over which company is administering the tests.

Cam Newton's going against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the field ... but he's standing united with the city Thursday night ... honoring the synagogue shooting victims with "Stronger than Hate" cleats.

The Panthers superstar revealed the kicks just minutes ago during pregame warm-ups ... showing a mock-up of the Steelers logo with a Star of David and the phrase "Hatred Can't Weaken a City of Steel."

Ben Roethlisberger wore similar custom cleats over the weekend against the Ravens ... and Julian Edelman showed support with a Team Israel hat from the World Baseball Classic after the Patriots game on Sunday.

As we previously reported ... an active shooter opened fire at a Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh during a prayer service on October 27, leaving 11 people dead in the anti-Semitic attack.

Wanna be Rae Carruth for Halloween? You're sick. But, the NFL wants no part of your tasteless attempt at dark humor.

The NFL has blocked fans from ordering customized Carruth jerseys on NFLShop.com -- continuing the policy of banning controversial names on licensed merch.

Other names on the NFL's jersey blacklist -- Aaron Hernandez and O.J. Simpson. Harambe the gorilla was on the list, but that name is now allowable.

Carruth was a pretty good football player before he orchestrated a plot to kill his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn child. He was a 1st-round draft pick for the Carolina Panthers back in 1997.

Carruth was ultimately convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, attempting to destroy an unborn child and discharging a firearm into occupied property and was sentenced to 18 to 24 years in prison.

Rae Carruth -- the piece of garbage NFL star WR who hired a hitman to kill his pregnant girlfriend -- was released from prison Monday morning, 19 years after the deadly incident.

Rae was a talented football player -- the Carolina Panthers took him in the 1st round of the 1997 NFL Draft and made the NFL All-Rookie Team after a pretty solid rookie season.

But, he threw it all away in Nov. 1999 when he conspired with a gunman to murder 24-year-old Cherica Adams, who was 8 months pregnant with his child.

Officials say Carruth and Adams got in separate cars after a movie date and once they got on the road, he blocked her vehicle so the gunman could have a clean shot.

Adams was hit 4 times but managed to call 911 -- and emergency personnel were able to perform an emergency C-section and save the baby. Cherica died 4 weeks later.

The child, Chancellor Lee Adams, was born with severe cerebral palsy due to trauma from the shooting. He's been raised by Cherica's mother, Saundra, ever since.

Rae was hit with several criminal charges -- but when the time came to turn himself into authorities, he infamously ran like the coward he is. He was later found hiding in the trunk of a car in Tennessee.

Carruth was ultimately convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, attempting to destroy an unborn child and discharging a firearm into occupied property.

He was sentenced to 18 to 24 years in prison.

Carruth -- now 44 years old -- told WBTV in a recent interview he's "excited" to get out of prison but nervous about how he'll be received by the public, acknowledging there is "so much hate and negativity toward me."

Bruce Springsteen looked the way a lot of NY Giants fans felt Sunday after a gut-wrenching loss against the Carolina Panthers ... with the game slipping away in the final seconds.

The Boss was spotted at Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey watching the Giants game with friends. The team was up by a point after a clutch touchdown by rookie Saquon Barkley in the last minute of the game -- but Cam and co. came charging back up the field.

As great of a play as Saquon made, it was trumped by Panthers kicker Graham Gano in the last 6 seconds of the game ... when he kicked a 63-yard field goal to win it 33-31.

Now, we don't know if Bruce was watching these last few plays -- but based on how down and out he looks here ... we're just gonna say it's very possible. Eyewitnesses tell us he rode to the bar on his motorcycle earlier in the day, and had some beer and a burger while there.

Marcellus Wiley says Eric Reid's collusion case against the NFL NEEDS to continue ... even though the embattled safety has been signed by a team, because the people deserve answers.

Reid is now a member of the Carolina Panthers, and some people wondered if he'd drop his part of the collusion case against the league now that he's back playing football.

We got Wiley out in Beverly Hills and asked him if Reid should consider playing nice with the league now that he's back, and Marcellus ain't having it.

"Eric Reid was a good enough safety to be signed before this. And, I just want to know to what extent and what degree did they try to collude or interrupt his services."

Marcellus' point seems to be clear ... that no matter if Eric and Colin Kaepernick get jobs again, the collusion case still needs to proceed, because we have to know if the league acted unfairly.

The unsung hero in the Eric Reid signing is the NEW owner of the Carolina Panthers who's changing team culture in a BIG way ... so says Panthers legend Jon Beason.

Remember, the OLD owner Jerry Richardson was forced out after an investigation revealed a pattern of sexual harassment and racist behavior.

But, that was the old guard, according to Beason -- the new owner is proving he's ready to turn the page from all that crap.

"I think it starts from the top down," Beason says ... "New owner David Tepper comes in and he's self-made. He knows that if you're going to win especially with football being a team game, it's about being inclusive."

Beason knows A LOT about Panthers culture -- he was a stud linebacker in Carolina for years and covers them as a member of the media.

Tepper bought the team back in May for $2 BILLION ... and many think if he hadn't -- and Richardson had stuck around -- the signing would have never happened.

Count Beason in as one of those people.

As for Reid ... Beason says he would have LOVED to play with a guy who was willing to sacrifice so much like Eric did.

"I would want to go to war, in terms of football, with that guy."

Jon also tells us the fans who are upset over the move will get over it quickly ... once they realize how good the safety is.

Colin Kaepernick says he's THRILLED his pal, Eric Reid, is back in the NFL -- but claims the safety shoulda been signed WAY earlier.

"Congratulations to my brother [Eric Reid], an all pro safety who should have been signed the first day of free agency, who has signed a football contract," Kaep posted.

"He has was the FIRST person to kneel alongside me. Eric is a social justice warrior, continues to support his wife, two beautiful daughters and communities in need."

Kaep and Reid were teammates on the 49ers and have been good friends for a WHILE.

In fact, when the guys found themselves jobless after the kneeling demonstrations -- they hired the same lawyers to sue the NFL for collusion ... claiming they'd been blackballed.

As for Kaep's claim Reid shoulda been signed sooner, he's right -- Reid's just 26 years old, has a Pro Bowl on his resume AND had 67 tackles and 2 picks last season.

Reid's new teammate, Torrey Smith, also commented -- saying, "I’m excited. It shouldn’t have taken this long, a person with his talent."

"We all understand the reason why."