New York Jets

Cutting Le'Veon Bell would be a HUGE mistake for the Jets ... so says his teammate Brandon Copeland, who tells TMZ Sports the RB is "the real deal!!!"

"He made a lot from nothing this past year," the NY linebacker says.

Bell has been in an awkward situation with his head coach, Adam Gase, ever since the ex-Steelers star inked a monster $52.5 MILLION deal to sign with NY this past off-season.

Gase was reportedly upset over paying an RB that much cash ... and at a press conference at the end of this season, Adam didn't exactly seem stoked about the idea of bringing Bell back in 2020.

All of it has led to trade rumors and even speculation that Bell could be cut this off-season ... but when we got Copeland out in NYC on Wednesday, he said that shouldn't be on the Jets' table at all.

"Everybody's going to talk," Copeland says. "But you keep one of the best running backs in the game right now. He's a good dude. He's working hard."

Le'Veon Bell is sick and tired of the NFL's "random" drug testing -- and says he refuses to cooperate anymore because he's sick of being poked with "those dirty ass needles."

"I done had 5 'random' HGH blood test in 10 weeks," the NY Jets running back posted on Twitter ... "I’m not doing another after today."

"Whatever y’all lookin for it obviously ain’t there & I’m not about to keep allowing y’all to stick me with those dirty ass needles."

He continued, "Find the players who really do that HGH BS & get off me."

Of course, Bell isn't the first high profile player to complain about the NFL's drug-testing policy ... back in 2018, Eric Reid said he was forced to undergo 7 "random" drug tests in just 3 months after signing with the Carolina Panthers.

For its part, the NFL insists the process is legit and fair and no specific players are targeted.

Former Jets star Mark Gastineau says he was raped as a child for years.

The ex-defensive end -- a five-time pro-bowler who played for the team between 1979 and 1988 -- made the shocking revelation this weekend to the NY Post after emerging cancer-free following a years-long battle with stage 3 colon cancer and several rounds of treatment.

He told the outlet that his sexual abuse started at age 11 and continued until he was 14, allegedly at the hands of what he describes as a Mexican farmworker on his family farm in Arizona. He says the guy was his own father's "right hand" on the 80-acre ranch.

Despite holding in the story for years, Gastineau didn't say he doesn't attribute any off-field trouble he found back in the day -- including assault and drug abuse problems -- to the trauma he experienced as a child, which he didn't elaborate on much with the Post.

NY Jets safety Jamal Adams says he was double-crossed by the team's general manager Joe Douglas -- who allegedly "went behind my back" to try to deal him to another team.

Adams was on the trade block before Tuesday's NFL deadline -- but ultimately, the team couldn't make a deal. The Dallas Cowboys and the Ravens were each reportedly making a serious run at the 24-year-old.

After the trade deadline passed, Adams went to social media to blast his team ... saying he was NOT the driving factor behind the potential trade. In fact, Adams says he told Jets officials he wanted to stay.

"Any reports of me asking to be traded from the New York Jets are completely false," Adams said.

But, here's where things turn nasty ...

"At the end of the week last week, I sat down with the GM and Coach Gase and told them I want to be here in New York. I was told yesterday by my agent that the GM then went behind my back and shopped me around to teams, even after I asked him to keep me here! Crazy business."

That obviously leaves both Adams and the Jets in a pretty awkward situation -- can you imagine what practice is gonna be like tomorrow?

Adams is one of the few bright spots on the 2019 Jets -- he's blossomed into an absolute stud after being selected with the 6th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

He's still in his rookie deal, and is pretty much locked up in NY until 2022 if the Jets want to keep him.

So, how do the Jets make things right with Adams? Who knows ... might be irreparably damaged.

Good news, bad news for "Game of Thrones" fans!!!

The Good News ... author George R.R. Martin is finally giving a timetable on when he plans to finish the final two books from his "A Song of Ice and Fire" saga!!!

The Bad News ... George says they'll come out BEFORE the NY Jets or Giants win another Super Bowl -- so it could be a while!!!

Of course, Martin is a HUGE NY football fan -- he blogs about both teams -- but he's REALLY down on the Jets and Giants at the moment because, well, they suck!!!

But, don't get too upset NY fans ... Martin tells us he's actually warming up to the Giants' infamous Daniel Jones pick!!! So, that's a start!!!

New York Jets safety Jamal Adams was dancing his face off Thursday ... 'cause the league overturned his fine for hitting Baker Mayfield -- AND HE WAS STOKED!!!

Back in Week 2 ... Jamal laid a questionable hit on the Browns quarterback -- and the superstar defender was PISSED after he was fined for it.

Jamal called it "bullsh*t" and appealed it ... and after he won this week -- he did a little victory dance and rubbed it in to reporters!!!

"HA HA!!!" Adams said. "I told ya'll, if you just listen to me, I'm going to be completely honest, and I'm going to tell you straight up, I knew I was going to win it."

Adams -- who's KILLING It for NY this season -- said he's gonna do some big things with the fresh $21k that was returned to him for winning the appeal ... saying a gift for Mom is now on the way!!!

“I can spend that lovely money on my mother – for her birthday so, you know, I’m excited.”

An Alaska Airlines passenger flying coach was arrested by federal authorities after he went nuclear because he was blocked from using the first-class bathroom.

The man wearing a Jets jersey was on a flight Thursday from JFK to LAX, when he got super frustrated over the long line for a coach head.

He ranted, "By making 7 people wait here to use the bathroom while the whole bathroom up there is empty, it's wrong."

The pilot got on the horn and tried to cajole the passenger -- who was decked out in a Jets jersey and matching hat -- to sit down ... to no avail. That's when the man allegedly threatens to kill the pilot and others onboard.

The plane made an emergency landing in Kansas City and passengers cheered as the guy was removed from the plane and taken into custody.

You know that hot chick who says she gave Sam Darnold mono??? The NY Jets QB is setting the record straight -- saying he's never met the woman in his life, let alone swapped spit with her!!!

You've seen the pic by now ... a v attractive Jets fan made light of Darnold having the kissing disease during NY's Monday Night Football match-up with the Browns ... holding up a sign that read "I gave Darnold mono."

Of course, for obvious reasons, the claim didn't seem so far-fetched ... so everyone had fun with it.

But Darnold just *had* to play the role of party pooper on Tuesday ... addressing the viral girl's claim on the 'Michael Kay Show' on ESPN.

"I know there was a sign also at the game that some girl claims she gave it to me ... I've never seen that girl in my life. So, I'd just like to set the record straight on that."

BOOOOOOOOO. That's no fun, Sam.

FWIW -- TMZ Sports spoke with the woman (who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity) ... and she says it was all a joke, too ... so case closed.

Saquon Barkley is jumping in to save the day for a dissed Giants fan ... he just invited the little kid who was roasted by DeMarcus Lawrence to a game in November!!!

11-year-old Kamil Bautista -- a NY fan living in McAllen, Texas -- drove 9 hours with his family to watch the Cowboys play the Giants in Dallas last weekend.

But, after the game when he was searching for autographs from players outside the stadium ... Lawrence blew him off, telling him his Barkley jersey was the wrong team!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Kamil's father, Jorge Bautista, who told us the whole situation sucked ... and said Jerry Jones should sit down with Lawrence to explain to him that wasn't right.

Well, Barkley saw the whole situation ... and guess what??? HE WANTS TO HANG OUT WITH THE KID NOW!!!

Sources close to the situation tell us Barkley reached out to the Bautistas this week and invited them to their Nov. 10 game against the Jets in New York.

We're told Barkley is flying them out and will give them a meet-and-greet experience as well as VIP treatment at MetLife Stadium.

Oh, and we're told the kid will almost certainly get some autographs from the team too!!!

NY Jets TE Chris Herndon -- who had a breakout rookie campaign last year -- will be banned 4 games this season after he pled guilty in his DUI crash case, the NFL announced.

Herndon was lucky to be alive after cops say the 22-year-old smashed into another car on a New Jersey highway on June 2, 2018 after he was speeding at more than 100 mph.

TMZ Sports obtained footage from the aftermath of the crash ... and you can see Herndon's 2018 Nissan Armada nearly rolled over wrongside up.

To make matters worse, 23-year-old Herndon bombed field sobriety tests ... and he was arrested for DUI at the scene.

Chris fought the charge in court throughout the Jets' season last year ... but eventually cut a deal with prosecutors and pled guilty in the case.

Herndon was sentenced to complete 12 hours of an intoxicated driver education program. Plus, his driver's license was revoked for 90 days. He was also hit with $639 in fines and fees.

Now, the NFL has weighed in with their punishment, hitting the guy with a 4-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the initial ban was supposed to be 2 games ... but after a woman at the scene claimed the crash caused her bodily harm, the NFL upped it to 4.

The two suspects who allegedly stole half a MILLION dollars worth of stuff from Le'Veon Bell were 2 women he left naked in bed earlier in the day ... this according to the Jets star himself.

In 911 audio obtained by TMZ Sports ... Bell tells dispatch on May 25 two women stole "clothes, shoes, money and my jewelry" in a burglary at his Hollywood, Florida home.

When dispatch asks for a description of the females ... Le'Veon says he can't say what they were wearing -- because when he left them earlier in the day, they were naked in his bed!!!

Of course, according to the police report, Bell describes the two as his "girlfriends" ... so seems the NFL superstar at least had a solid start to the day ...

"When I left, [one of the women] was in the bed," Bell said on the 911 call ... "She was in the bed, not wearing clothes when I left. So, I didn't see her. You know what I'm saying."

And the other lady ... "She was in the bed too. They didn't have clothes on."

Bell says in the 911 call the women stole his watch, his jewelry and "a couple more things of value out of my house" ... and estimated everything they took was worth around $1 MILLION.

Police eventually determined the value of the jewelry Le'Veon lost was $520,000. As we previously reported, one of the items that was taken is a diamond Black Panther pendant.

Unclear if Bell has been able to get his stuff back -- or if the suspects have been caught. The Hollywood PD tells us the investigation is still ongoing and "no update yet."

Le'Veon Bell lost more than HALF A MILLION dollars in jewelry-- including his beloved Black Panther chain -- after 2 of his female friends allegedly swiped his belongings from his Florida home last month.

According to Hollywood PD ... the NY Jets running back came home from a gym workout on May 25 and noticed some things were missing -- his 2 gold and diamond chains, a Rolex watch, the Black Panther pendent ... as well as the 2 girls who were chilling at his house.

The valuables are worth $520,000 in total.

Sources tell us Le'Veon -- who just signed a 4-year, $52.5 million deal with the Jets back in March -- made his new team aware of the theft after the incident occurred.

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.

Refer to Curtis Martin as Dr. Curtis Martin from now on ... 'cause the Hall of Famer just got a doctorate degree!!!

The ex-Jets superstar was just presented with a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in New York on Thursday ... where he took the stage and was participated in the hooding ceremony.

Martin was honored for his on-and-off field accomplishments ... receiving praise for his Curtis Martin Job Foundation, which provided financial support to single parents and people with disabilities, as well as providing medical attention to people in developing countries.

On top of that, the dude was a freakin' beast on the field ... he was a 2-time first team All Pro selection, a 5-time Pro Bowler and oh yeah, he's in the hall of fame.

This right here though has gotta take the cake.

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.

Le'Veon Bell wants to show off his love for the Jets wherever he goes ... repping his new team while performing at a nightclub over the weekend ... and TMZ Sports has the footage!!

The $52.5 million man showed some serious Gang Green loyalty during his 20-minute performance at HQ2 Nightclub at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City ... showing off his new team's logo on the big screen and even starting a massive J-E-T-S chant!!

Bell fittingly performed songs like "Lotto" and "Talk of the Town" during his set... and we're told the crowd loved it.