New England Patriots

Tom Brady's BFF, Rob Gronkowski, is retired ... so TB12's taking his hunt for new offseason workout partners to UCLA!!!

The G.O.A.T. joined the Bruins for an impromptu throwing sesh Wednesday morning ... and seems the Patriots QB enjoyed it -- he smiled and took pics with all the guys afterward.

Of course, this is becoming an annual thing for the NFL superstar ... just 12 months ago, Brady was in town and ran an entire workout with the Bruins' offense.

This week's sesh seemed much less formal ... but UCLA studs like Chase Cota were still jacked up for the day anyway.

"Got to work with THE GOAT today," the Bruins receiver said ... "What an opportunity, go Bruins!"

By the way ... UCLA continued the tradition of throwing some shade at USC for the star-studded workout -- tagging their pictures once again with, "#OnlyAtUCLA."

Sorry Patriots fans ... the guy who filled in for Rob Gronkowski in 2016 ain't interested in doing it again in 2019 -- with Martellus Bennett telling TMZ Sports he's retired for good.

Bennett -- who had 5 catches for 62 yards in the Super Bowl that season -- announced his retirement from the NFL in March 2018.

But, that was BEFORE Gronk decided to hang up his cleats ...

Remember, it was just back in February Marty joked about rejoining the Cowboys during a monster workout session in the gym. Dude still looks like he can play!!

So, when we spotted Marty B out in NYC Friday afternoon, we had to ask if he would consider putting the jersey back on for another stint with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

The long story short ... the 32-year-old says his mind is made up -- and it's a hard no.

"It's not me, I'm not the one," Bennett told us.

Instead, Bennett tells us he's focusing on his multimedia production company -- he's doing everything from book publishing to animated features and more.

Anyone wondering if New Orleans Saints receiver Tedd Ginn Jr. is a fan of his quarterback, Drew Brees, you're about to get your answer ... and that answer is almost religious.

Ginn Jr. and Brees have been running mates for a couple years now, so when we talked to the speed burner from Ohio State recently, we wanted to know how he felt about his signal caller.

"He's a god. Anybody that gets with Drew seems like they get better and better. The things that he does on and off the field as a person are just really self-explanatory for who he is."

Far be it for us to compare gods to mere men, but we had to ask ... if Drew is so special, how does he stack up against one Mr. Thomas Brady?

According to Mr. Ginn, pretty damn good.

"The things that he does to make things work, I really don't see Tom Brady doing."

Before you call Ginn Jr. a homer (he needs the ball thrown to him, we get it) he also admits Brady is pretty good too.

"Some of the things Tom Brady does, I don't see Drew doing."

The Robert Kraft case is now at the profanity-laced, name-calling stage ... at least according to a prosecutor who's clearly pissed off at one of Kraft's attorneys.

There's a pretty heated hearing going down Friday in South Florida ... and so far, Kraft's lawyer, Alex Spiro, has been grilling a Jupiter PD detective like a cheeseburger. This afternoon, an Assistant State Attorney got so annoyed, she stood up and voiced her displeasure with a line of questioning.

You gotta see what happened next.

After the judge intervened and allowed Spiro to continue his questions, the prosecutor whispered, "What an asshole."

It's unclear if anyone outside of the prosecution heard it, but we picked it up on a microphone in court. No one in the courtroom reacted.

Ex-NFL star Rodney Peete is accused of pulling a fast one on a Super Bowl ticket broker -- allegedly squirming his way out of paying for VERY expensive seats ... and now the broker wants his cash!

The 53-year-old and his famous wife Holly Robinson Peete are being sued by Barry's Tickets -- a pretty famous business which sells tickets to high-profile events.

Barry's claims Rodney hit 'em up in January 2019 looking for 8 tickets to Super Bowl LIII in ATL to watch Tom Brady and the Patriots take on the L.A. Rams.

Barry's claims they offered Peete a discount -- they'd charge him $11,500 per ticket if he paid before Feb. 3 ... and the price would rise to $12,500 if he paid after.

Rodney agreed, according to the lawsuit -- but only wired $46,000 to Barry's.

Barry's says they gave Rodney the tickets under the assumption he'd deliver the second half of the money -- but he NEVER paid.

In fact, Barry's says Rodney strung them along for days until finally ghosting them in mid-February.

Now, Barry's demanding $54,000 for the tickets plus interest plus legal fees.

Robert Kraft just won a major battle in the war over whether that spa video ever sees the light of day -- a judge has granted a protective order that keeps it on lockdown ... for now.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge agreed with Kraft's attorneys that releasing the police surveillance video to the media would jeopardize the Patriots owner's right to a fair trial. As a result, the judge's order says the video cannot go public until the case is over -- whether that's by plea agreement or prosecutors dropping the charges -- or once a trial jury is sworn in for the case.

The order is a victory for Kraft's legal team because it means ... prosecutors can't use the potential release of the video as leverage to get Kraft to cave on a plea deal.

However, Kraft might want to keep the champagne on ice.

There's another hearing scheduled for Friday where the judge is expected to make a decision about suppressing the release of any evidence in the case -- including the spa video. In Tuesday's order, the judge says he's reserving the right to reconsider his decision after Friday's hearing.

7:45 AM PT -- A judge ruled Mingbi will be released on $5,000 bond on the condition she surrenders her passport and does not work in the spa/massage industry.

Cops have arrested another woman in the Robert Kraft prostitution case -- a 58-year-old who allegedly performed a sexual act on the Patriots owner with another woman at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.

Jupiter Police arrested Shen Mingbi -- who cops say was in the massage room with Kraft on January 19, 2019.

According to the police report, Kraft was joined in the massage room by 2 women -- one of whom was Mingbi.

Officials say the encounter was captured on surveillance and shows both Mingbi and Lei Wang using their hands on Kraft's penis.

Officials say Mingbi was also involved in sexual acts with several other men at the spa.

Wang had already been arrested and charged in the case -- but now, officials have busted Mingbi too.

Mingbi has been formally charged with 1 count of deriving support from prostitution and 8 counts of offer to commit prostitution. She's in court right now (Tuesday) to face the charges.

As for Kraft, he's got a hearing on Friday where he'll continue to fight to block officials from releasing the spa video to the media.

Kraft has claimed the release of the video would hamper his ability to get a fair trial because it would taint the jury pool.

Here's Rob Gronkowski showing he's still got a little football in him after retiring from the NFL -- throwing passes to fans in the Bahamas this weekend ... and showing off the scar from his back surgery.

Gronk and his swimsuit model girlfriend, Camille Kostek, spent Easter weekend right by the beach -- taking in some sun at a fancy resort in Nassau ... it's gorgeous.

Kostek shot footage of a shirtless Gronk playing catch with some kids -- and you can see the scar on his lower back from the procedure he underwent in Dec. 2016 to treat a herniated disc.

Gronk returned the following season and had a monster year -- he was named a 1st Team All-Pro in 2017. Pretty amazing comeback.

But now, it's a wrap for Gronk ... he officially announced his retirement from the NFL back in March and says he's excited for the next phase of his life.

"I think prosecutors in this country should have something much better to do."

That's Robert Shapiro -- a famous piece of O.J. Simpson's dream team -- going scorched Earth on prosecutors in the Robert Kraft case, telling TMZ Sports they ALL should be ashamed of themselves.

"You know what, I think this case is something that the people that are prosecuting and the people that are investigating should be ashamed of," Shapiro said leaving the restaurant, E Baldi, this week.

"There is so much crime going on in this country and to take valuable assets and time from law enforcement to enforce something that has nothing to do with the allegations they're bringing, I think it's just irresponsible."

Of course, Kraft is currently in the fight of his life down in Florida ... fending off charges of soliciting prostitutes and scrapping like hell to block videos of the alleged incident from getting out to the public.

Shapiro thinks it's straight-up ridiculous that the 77-year-old is going through this ... telling us prosecutors in the case should just drop the charges now and move on.

"It's a very private, personal matter," Shapiro says ... "He's moved on and I think prosecutors in this country should have something much better to do."

The two women accused of running the Orchids of Asia Day Spa claim Florida officials have leaked the naked surveillance video of Robert Kraft ... and they want the leakers punished ASAP.

The lawyers for Hua Zhang and Lei Wang have filed new court documents calling for emergency action after new reports say the unblurred Kraft spa video is being shopped to various media outlets.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, the women claim the only agencies that had access to the video were the Jupiter P.D. and the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.

The women claim the "logical conclusion" is that someone in one of those groups is responsible for the leak.

The leak would constitute a violation of the court order barring officials from releasing the video -- and the women want the judge to hold groups in criminal contempt.

The women claim release of the video would "egregiously jeopardize their rights to a fair trial." Kraft has previously argued the same point.

Unclear if/when a judge will rule on this issue -- but it should happen soon.

There's been a war over the video -- multiple media outlets have argued that officials are obligated to release the footage. Kraft, along with Wang and Zhang, claims the footage was obtained illegally and if released would taint potential jurors.

If this isn't the most Gronk story to date ...

Rob Gronkowski made sure to leave his mark on the Patriots before retiring from the NFL ... putting a HUGE dent in their 6th Lombardi trophy while trying to use it as a baseball bat.

Yes ... Gronk used a freakin' Super Bowl trophy to try to hit a baseball because ... we don't know why he would do this, actually.

It all went down when the Patriots were honored at Fenway Park before a Red Sox game earlier this month ... when players like Gronk and Julian Edelman were having some fun and *pretending* to hit baseballs while using the trophy as a bat.

Gronk must've missed the memo about PRETENDING ... 'cause the dude switched up his batting stance to bunt the ball ... and he made contact.

The bunt resulted in a massive dent in ol' Vinny ... and the Patriots hilariously released a mini-mockumentary to give the play-by-play of the whole thing.

12:21 PM PT -- Temporary victory for Robert Kraft ...

Florida 15th Judicial Circuit Court Joseph Marx has BLOCKED the release of the Kraft video -- for now -- kicking the matter down the road. A hearing has been set for later this month.

Florida prosecutors say they WILL release pixelated video of Robert Kraft and other men inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa where they allegedly received illegal sexual services ... but Kraft has filed an emergency motion to block the release.

The Assistant State Attorney in Palm Beach County has filed new court docs saying he is obligated to release the footage shot inside the Day Spa to the media as a matter of law.

The New England Patriots owner has been battling like hell to keep the video under wraps for weeks arguing several angles -- he claims the footage was illegally shot and also says the release will taint a potential jury and prevent him from getting a fair trial.

But, prosecutors say in Florida ... state law requires disclosure of this type of evidence when requested by the media -- even though it includes explicit sexual images.

As we previously reported, prosecutors say the footage -- shot by a surveillance camera inside a massage room -- shows Kraft receiving sexual services in exchange for money on two separate occasions.

Officials say the cameras were covertly installed as part of a sting operation investigating possible human trafficking at the Day Spa.

Kraft claims the prosecutor had previously assured the court the video would not be released until a judge had an opportunity to analyze the issue ... and now he clearly feels prosecutors have mislead the court about their true intentions.

So, what does it all mean? The case will go in front of a judge TODAY at 11:30 AM PT -- and the judge could rule from the bench immediately.

And, there's more ... one of the patrons of the Day Spa who claims he was unknowingly recorded by the surveillance cams while receiving a legitimate massage has also filed docs seeking to block the release. He claims he had disrobed in the room and fears that private footage will humiliate him.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft isn't buying what prosecutors are selling when it comes to the video police secretly recorded inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa -- and ultimately it could determine if the video is ever released to the public.

Kraft filed a request for prosecutors to hand over all evidence about the "number of individuals who were recorded on video in the massage rooms while receiving lawful massages or were not charged."

Translation: How many innocents were caught in the crossfire during the 5 days cops continuously recorded video inside all the rooms at the spa?

Well, in docs obtained by TMZ, the prosecutors say Jupiter PD recorded 2 men and 2 women on January 20 and 21 who received "lawful massages."

TMZ broke the story ... prosecutors and Jupiter PD are now being sued by one man who says he was recorded in the spa, but did not engage in any sexual activity while there. He believes his civil rights were violated, and his attorney, Joe Tacopina, tells us his client isn't the only one. Tacopina says he's spoken to 17 people who went to the spa on the up and up during the time cops were recording.

Kraft's legal team also seems to think prosecutors are lowballing the number of people recorded getting legit massages. They're now demanding the state reveal how many people were recorded but "were not charged."

The Jupiter Police Dept. and Palm Beach prosecutors are being sued by a patron at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa ... claiming the secret videotaping inside the spa is a gross violation of the customer's federal civil rights.

The lawsuit was filed anonymously -- listing the plaintiff as John Doe. Doe was not charged with a criminal offense like Robert Kraft, but he was at the spa during the period where video cameras were rolling in every room. Doe says in the suit he did not engage in any sexual activity in the spa.

The lawsuit describes a crazy way in which the cameras were installed. According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, the Jupiter PD staged a false "suspicious package" warning on January 18 that triggered an evacuation of the spa. While everyone was outside, cops came in and installed secret cameras in the private rooms. Doe went in the next day to receive a massage.

Doe says in the lawsuit, filed by top attorney Joe Tacopina, that the secret recordings violate his civil rights ... especially since everything he did was on the up and up.

Doe claims the risk the videos will become public is high, because of the celebrities who have been snared in the case.

The lawsuit also says the cops were sleazy in the way they investigated ... sometimes following patrons who drove away and stopping them for minor traffic violations and grilling them about what went on inside the spa. The suit claims cops also rifled through trash to find napkins and tissues with semen.

He wants damages and an injunction, ordering authorities to destroy all videotapes.

While his court battle rages on, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft isn't exactly laying low -- hanging courtside at the Celtics game in Boston last night where he was still treated like a rock star.

The 77-year-old was in a GREAT mood as the Celtics took on the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their playoff series ... you can see Kraft sitting with Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck (the guy on the left).

By the way, the Celtics WON the game 84-74.

Of course, Kraft has A LOT going on in the other court in his life ... the one in Florida where he's fighting like hell to block the media from getting surveillance footage from inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.

As we've previously reported, Kraft believes the footage was obtained illegally -- and also, if released, would destroy all chances of getting a fair trial in his prostitution case.

10:30 AM PT -- Prosecutors admitted during the hearing that despite their initial thoughts ... they have NO evidence of human trafficking at the Orchids of Asia spa. They also said there is no longer an ongoing investigation for any such evidence.

Kraft's attorneys have long argued cops knew all along there was no evidence of human trafficking.

The hearing is getting heated ... with Kraft's team insisting prosecutors are holding the threat of releasing the surveillance videos "like a sword" over Kraft's head ... in order to force him into taking a plea deal.

Robert Kraft's legal team marched into a Palm Beach County courthouse Friday morning prepared for war -- gearing up to argue why the Asian Spa video should NOT be released to the public.

Attorneys Alex Spiro (left), Jack Goldberger (center) and William Burck (right) arrived at the courthouse early Friday morning for the case with their game faces on.

As we previously reported, Kraft's team has been fighting like hell to keep the surveillance videos under wraps out of fear it could hamper his chances of getting a fair trial.

Several media outlets have filed court docs in the hopes of getting access to the video -- but Kraft thinks the judge has a duty to block it.

Cops say they recorded graphic footage of Kraft (and other men) inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida in January showing the 77-year-old receiving sex acts in exchange for money.

Kraft argued in several motions that the videos should NOT be released to the public ... saying they were not only obtained illegally -- but they'd do "irreparable harm" if they got out.

The judge is currently hearing arguments from both sides.