New England Patriots

If Tom Brady took a knee for the national anthem ... it would change EVERYTHING -- so says Martellus Bennett, who says, "White America would be like, ‘Oh my God. What is this that Tom Brady’s talking about?!'"

TB12's former Patriots teammate joined a panel at the "Athletes + Activism" discussion on Thursday ... and said if QBs like Brady and Drew Brees knelt, people would be far more understanding of Colin Kaepernick's protest.

"The conversation in the NFL would change," Bennett says ...

"All these great white heroes that they have running around, throwing the football -- if they jump into the conversation, it would be projected to -- it would be so much bigger.”

Bennett says Brady and Brees kneeling would cause masses to actually dive into the real reasons behind Colin's initial protest ... and actually understand it, saying, "They would start doing research."

"They would join in the conversation," Martellus added ... "It would pique their interest. But since it’s a black guy taking a knee, it’s like, ‘Alright, these guys, here he goes again. It’s another one of these guys out here doing this.’”

There's more ... Bennett also sounded off on the NFL and domestic violence, saying if a player hits a woman, "you should not be playing football."

In fact, the 32-year-old -- who retired back in 2017 -- said, "I wanted to choke the sh*t out of Ray Rice" after his domestic violence incident back in 2014.

Demaryius Thomas says his violent car crash earlier this year scared the hell of him ... telling TMZ Sports he could have DIED after he flipped his SUV in Denver back in February.

"I could have been gone," the NFL star receiver says.

As we previously reported ... Thomas was doing 70 MPH in a 30 at around 12:20 AM on Feb. 16 when he lost control of his SUV and crashed it into a curb.

A witness says he saw Thomas' car flip several times in the air ... and the pics we obtained from the accident show the gnarly scene.

Thomas says it was a pretty traumatic experience for him ... and tells us he's not only thankful he can still play football -- he's happy to just be a functioning human being.

"I wake up every morning and thank the lord above," Thomas says ... "And, just thankful for just not even just being able to do what I do -- being able to talk, walk, eat, all those things that we forget about on a daily basis."

Thomas -- who signed with the Patriots just a few weeks after the wreck -- is clearly taking advantage of the second chance ... he helped give kids free haircuts and braids at his "Summer Break" event over the weekend.

Tony Gonzalez ain't ready to yield his "greatest of all time"-tight end label to Rob Gronkowski ... telling TMZ Sports his career is just as legendary as the Patriots'!!!

"Hey, we're both great," Gonzalez said at LAX on Monday night ... "We're both the G.O.A.T.s!"

Gronk just officially retired two months ago ... and many have wondered if he did enough in his 9-year career to take the best tight end EVER moniker away from Gonzalez.

The numbers don't seem close at first glance but remember, Gronk only played 9 seasons while Tony played 17.

Gronk -- 521 receptions, 7,861 receiving yards and 79 receiving TDs (plus 3 Super Bowls).

Gonzalez -- 1,325 receptions, 15,127 receiving yards and 111 receiving TDs.

Tony says "there's a great argument" for Gronk to be called the NFL's best ever ... but it sure doesn't seem like he's the one making it!!!

Sick of seeing Tom Brady flash his SIX Super Bowl rings on land? Well, you're gonna hate the new Patriots' team plane paint job!

The NFL's most dominant organization just freshened up their official team jet -- touting their 6th NFL title after crushing the L.A. Rams in Super Bowl LIII back in February.

The team also added the 6th Lombardi Trophy to the tail of the plane -- but there's a HUGE problem ... it's missing the DENT that Rob Gronkowski inflicted on the hardware last month.

Remember, Gronk used the trophy as a baseball bat during some hitting practice before the Red Sox game at Fenway Park ... and when he squared to bunt, the baseball left a sizable dent.

The team jet isn't the only vehicle that got more smug after the Super Bowl -- Bill Belichick already renamed his personal boat, "VIII Rings" ... to reflect the 8 NFL championships he's won during his career.

The Patriots win ... again, and this time it's their owner, Robert Kraft, who gets to spike the football -- the judge says police video of him inside the Orchids of Asia spa can't be used in the case.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, the judge had big problems with the search warrant that was issued, allowing police to plant cameras and secretly record Kraft and others inside the spa. The judge said police didn't minimize their recordings -- meaning they didn't do enough to protect people who were inside the spa getting perfectly legal massages.

The judge also said the police didn't do enough to minimize the impact of recording female customers inside the spa.

Detectives who testified in recent weeks said their only direction while monitoring the cameras was to "look for illegal activity." The judge said that's not nearly specific enough ... they needed to have written guidelines as to when to turn the cameras on and off.

In his ruling, the judge said, "The fact that some totally innocent women and men had their entire lawful time spent in a massage room fully recorded and viewed intermittently by a detective-monitor is unacceptable."

The bottom line for Kraft is ... the video can't be used as evidence in his prostitution case. Also, the traffic stop police made as Kraft left the spa has also been tossed from the case.

Rob Gronkowski will NOT be successful transitioning from the NFL to Hollywood if he doesn't take it seriously ... so says ex-NFL star Thomas Jones -- who says the move is hard as hell!!!

Of course, TJ knows first-hand what it takes to go from on-the-field stud to on-the-screen star ... he spent 12 years in the league before becoming a respected actor.

And, he tells us the only way Gronk is going to have similar success is if he truly devotes himself.

"Just commit yourself to the industry, man," Jones says of his advice to the future Hall of Fame tight end ... "You can't really halfway do this. You have to really, really buy into it."

The reason? Jones says football players have to train themselves to be "inhumane" to be a beast on the field ... but acting requires more vulnerability.

In fact, Jones says he took acting classes for 4 YEARS to get that all down ... saying, "I took the craft seriously."

The good news for Gronk? Jones says the ex-Patriot will be a natural once he decides to put all his energy into it.

Sean McVay is finally coming clean on why the Rams were so bad against the Patriots in the Super Bowl last February ... saying he straight-up "over-prepared" for the big game.

Remember, Los Angeles came into SB LIII as one of the most potent offenses EVER ... but threw up just 3 points against Bill Belichick's boys in an epic loss.

Now, after reflecting on the sorry performance for 3 months ... McVay told Sports Illustrated he finally has the answer as to why it happened ...

"You have so much time that you can over-prepare and get away from some of the things that helped you get there."

McVay says he poured over ALL of New England's 18 games in the 2018-19 season ... and even went back to look at how the Pats played in their Super Bowls against the Eagles and Falcons.

Sean says doing all that extra work killed the Rams, saying, "You can watch so much film that you lose perspective."

The good news for L.A.? Per Sports Illustrated, McVay seemed disgusted that he let his team down -- and seems he learned his lesson.

Camille Kostek is having a pretty great 2019 -- she's officially a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl now ... and she lost her mind when she found out!

The former New England Patriots cheerleader -- who's also dating Rob Gronkowski -- was informed about the cover by the editor, MJ Day ... and immediately began bawling!

It's actually a really cool, raw moment.

Kostek first started working with SI back in 2017 -- and she's always talked about how modeling for the mag was a career goal. Congrats on the cover!!!

There are three versions of the SI Swimsuit Edition cover -- the other two feature Tyra Banks and soccer superstar Alex Morgan.

SI has also said the 2019 edition will feature other major female athletes including UFC star Paige VanZant.

As for Kostek, she just wrapped up a big weekend in Vegas celebrating Gronk's retirement from the NFL ... where the two danced their faces off and smashed cake by a Vegas pool.

Dwyane Wade is ready for the TB12 method -- no, not the avocado ice cream and weird stretches stuff -- the NBA superstar wants Gabrielle Union to start making Gisele money!!!

If ya missed it ... Tom Brady made waves this past week when he told Jimmy Kimmel he can afford to take massive pay cuts from the Patriots because his wife brings home the bacon in their relationship.

When we got D-Wade and Gabby after the Met Gala on Monday night ... we had to ask for their thoughts on Brady's admission.

Gabby's reaction? "Smart man."

Wade's reaction? PURE JEALOUSY!!!

"Very smart man," Wade told us ... "That's what I'm trying to get!"

Of course, Wade was just kiddin' around ... Gabby does just fine in their relationship -- she's an A-list Hollywood celeb.

Another night, another model for NFL star Julian Edelman!!!

This time, the New England Patriots wide receiver was getting VERY up close and personal with model Fernanda Liz after the Met Gala in New York.

For those unfamiliar, Fernanda is GORGEOUS!!!

She's a 5'11" high-end fashion model who's been on the cover of Brazilian Vogue magazine -- and featured in Elle, Marie Claire and Harrods Magazine.

Fernanda has also done a ton of bikini modeling -- which we happened to find on her IG page -- and yeah, she's killing that part of the game too.

Our model sources tell us ... the two are not in a serious relationship -- it's just casual at this point. Seems to be going well based on the photo of the two embracing in NYC!!!

One thing we know for sure ... they look damn good together!!!

Edelman has been connected to models in the past -- he dated Adriana Lima a while back and has a daughter with Swedish model Ella Rose.

You think New England Patriots star Julian Edelman is gonna just sit there and be quiet when some jerk NY Jets fan is running his mouth talking smack?!?!

NOPE!

Jules calmly fired back at the Jets heckler Monday night with a truth bomb -- and shut the guy down right in front of Odell Beckham and Saquon Barkley!!

So, here's the deal ... the NFL stars were all leaving a post-Met Gala party at the Standard Line Hotel in New York ... when some guy started trashing the NY Giants when he saw Saquon and Odell.

The heckler told the group, "Saquon, sorry buddy, [I'm a] Jets fan!"

That's when Edelman walked right up to the guy and explained, "I'm a Jets fan too. Every time we play 'em, we win."

Boom.

It's true, ever since Edelman joined the Pats back in 2009, his team has a 16-5 record against the Jets ... complete domination.

Anyway, Edelman and his NFL pals continued to have a great night -- while the Jets fan was forced to sit and think about how they're probably gonna suck again in 2019.

4:22 PM PT -- A stunner down in Louisville ... Maximum Security has been disqualified after a replay review of the final stretch. The second horse to cross the finish line, Country House, has now been declared the winner. MS was found to have been impeding another horse.

3:59 PM PT -- Maximum Security just won the 145th Kentucky Derby, beating out Game Winner ... which was the pre-race favorite horse to win it.

And by the looks of the race track and how far ahead MS broke out in the end, this baby loves the slop ... just eats it up.

Hollywood didn't skimp on the swank for the 2019 Kentucky Derby, including Mr. Tom Brady ... who came back in a big way after temporarily being outshined by Baker Mayfield.

Celebs were out in force Saturday at the Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, where much of the Patriots organization seemed to be in attendance ... not to mention some Broncos stars, like Von Miller, and other footballers from the Packers and Browns.

TB was there too, of course, and his Day 2 outfit definitely had a lot more swag than his Friday one did. You'll recall ... he was barely recognizable standing behind Baker and his pink suit.

All is well now though -- Tom looked great, as did his teammates. In fact, everyone was dressed to the nines on the day of the big race ... even the non-athletes.

Some other A-listers who showed up include Wilmer Valderama, NeNe Leakes, Backstreet Boys singers Kevin Richardson and Howie D, Joey Fatone, Stormy Daniels, Jeff Bezos, Richie Sambora ... and even Anna Nicole Smith's daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, who wore her mom's iconic KY Derby look from 2004. Anna died of an overdose in 2007.

At the Kentucky Derby, it's always hard to figure out the best of the best-dressed. Everyone was looking fantastic, if we do say so ourselves.

Can you spot the G.O.A.T.?!

He's behind the dude in SWAG pink suit!

Check this out ... a bunch of NFL stars are hanging together in Kentucky right now -- gearing up for the Kentucky Derby.

Baker Mayfield's front and center -- with an incognito Tom Brady blending in behind him.

Indianapolis Colts QB Jacoby Brissett -- Tom's former backup -- is in the bottom left ... standing next to Julian Edelman.

Also in the mix ... ex-Patriots' Lonie Paxton and Dan Koppen.

TB12 is a regular at the Derby -- so is his coach, Bill Belichick. Unclear if Bill has made it to Churchill Downs yet.

We already reported L.A. Rams head coach Sean McVay is in town with his smokin' hot girlfriend.

Tom Brady says there are TWO good reasons he's not the highest paid player in the NFL ...

1) He'd rather have the Patriots use the cash to pay other good players

2) HIS WIFE'S ALREADY SUPER RICH!!!

It's true ... TB12 explained the whole thing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" when Jimmy pointed out that Brady (who's won more Super Bowls than any other QB ever) is the 18th highest paid QB in the NFL.

Don't worry, he ain't exactly poor -- Brady is slated to make $15 million in 2019.

But, Tom broke it down this way ...

"I think the thing I've always felt for me in my life, winning has been a priority. And, my wife [Gisele] makes a lot of money."

Brady continued ... "I'm a little smarter than you think. Actually, it's a salary cap. You can only spend so much and the more that one guy gets is less for others. And, for a competitive advantage standpoint, I like to get a lot of good players around me."

He's not kidding about Gisele ... she's made a FORTUNE over the years as the highest paid model on the planet.

According to Forbes, the Brazilian raked in $42 million in 2013 alone -- though that number has gone way down over the years.

She reportedly only made $10 mil in 2018.

HOW WILL THEY SURVIVE ON THAT MEASLY SALARY?!!?

Tom Brady, Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel bro'd down over some sushi in Beverly Hills ... they're super rich and super famous ... so, question is, who footed the bill???

The power trio hit the town after shooting a bit for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Wednesday ... getting a table at Yazawa Japanese BBQ.

Of course, Brady's been all over La La Land this week ... he was spotted throwin' the pigskin with some UCLA players earlier in the day before joining the stars for dinner.

So ... who pays the tab?! Let's break it down:

Kimmel -- Jimmy just had Brady and Damon on his show ... so a few sushi rolls as a thank you for coming on his show ain't out of the question.

Damon -- the actor's a HUGE Pats and TB12 fan ... so a congrats on winning a 6th SUPER BOWL dinner is definitely not out of the question.

Then there's Brady ... the dude's made more than $212 MILLION in his career -- and that's just his football salary -- and uhh, we might have our winner.

Regardless of who whipped out the wallet ... that's one helluva power table.

Robert Kraft has been ordered to appear in court IN PERSON in his prostitution case -- and it's all going down in 3 weeks.

Kraft has been sending his legal team to Florida over the past few months to battle it out with prosecutors in his place ... in an effort to block officials from releasing the graphic footage from inside the spa.

Kraft's legal team have been grilling investigators over the past few days -- and Wednesday, they made their closing arguments as to why the video should never see the light of day.

As we previously reported, cops say they have graphic surveillance footage from inside the massage room at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida showing the 77-year-old New England Patriots owner receiving sexual acts from two spa employees.

Kraft has already apologized publicly for his actions -- but he's entered a not guilty plea in his solicitation case and plans to fight the charges. His attorneys have argued the footage was illegally obtained PLUS the release of the video would taint a potential jury pool and ruin his chances for a fair trial.

On Wednesday, the judge said he would make a decision soon that would impact the fate of the video -- and set a hearing date for May 21 ... ordering Kraft to appear in person.

Unclear why he wants Kraft to attend since the hearing is only listed a "calendar call" -- which generally just a status update in a case.

It would be the first time Kraft would appear in court for this case -- something he's clearly been trying to avoid since the information went public back in February.