NFL

Lawrence Taylor Jr. -- the son of NFL legend Lawrence Taylor -- has just been released from jail after his July arrest for statutory rape, child molestation, and sodomy, TMZ has learned.

LTJ's mom bonded out her son moments ago in Georgia. Bond was set at $50,000. The 31-year-old will remain free until his next court date, which hasn't been scheduled yet.

TMZ broke the story ... LTJ was arrested on July 7 on 3 counts: statutory rape (felony), aggravated child molestation (felony), and statutory aggravated sodomy (felony). He remained in custody until today.

According to the warrant, a female under the age of 16 accused LTJ of forcibly performing oral sex on her (legally referred to as "sodomy" in this case). Another underage girl also accused LTJ of having sex with her multiple times last year.

If convicted of either child molestation or sodomy, LTJ faces 25 years to life in prison. The statutory rape charge carries a sentence of 1 to 20 years.

LTJ's lawyer tells us, "Mr. Taylor has some serious challenges that lay ahead of him and we are focusing on those challenges. This is a tough case, no winners here."

Good news Beliebers ... your fearless leader has been a GOOD BOY recently, so says one of his famous Calabasas neighbors.

TMZ spoke with retired NFL stud Willie McGinest -- who lives right near Justin Bieber in the ultra-exclusive gated community where the singer gained his reputation as the WORST NEIGHBOR EVER.

But Willie says things have quieted down since the infamous Justin vs. Keyshawn neighborhood war ... and even JB's entourage (Lil Twist and Lil Za) have been staying out of trouble.

Here's Tom Brady casually paddling away in a kayak over the weekend ... and GIVING ALL OF BOSTON A FRIGGIN' HEART ATTACK!!!

Before you accuse us of sensationalizing the situation, consider this fact -- back in 2009, Brady had to be RESCUED from the Charles River after falling out of his Kayak while goofing around with some friends.

After the rescue, Brady thanked the woman who fished him out of the water ... telling her, "You saved my life."

Despite the risks -- and with NFL opening day less than 2 weeks away -- Brady got back into the Charles River with his wife Gisele and son Ben on Saturday.

Fortunately, everyone emerged from the water healthy and happy.

Meanwhile, it's the Jets who seem to be drowning these days ...

11:03 AM PT -- The prosecutor just announced the indictment returned against Hernandez on multiple charges, including murder, carrying a firearm, possession of a firearm, possession of a high-capacity firearm or feeding device, and 2 counts of possession of ammunition.

As he sat down, Hernandez mouthed the words "I love you" to family members in court.

Another hearing has been set for next Friday.

NFL star Aaron Hernandez has just been indicted on a 1st degree murder charge in the death of 27-year-old semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd -- and he's due in court any moment to face his stark new reality.

Hernandez was originally expected in court today for a probable cause hearing -- where prosecutors would have presented evidence that a) a crime was committed, and b) that Hernandez committed the crime.

But a grand jury has already returned an indictment, meaning prosecutors won't have to present additional evidence to justify a trial.

Translation: the probable cause hearing is now pretty much a formality ... but we may still hear from Hernandez' lawyer.

James Harrison might be on to something, 'cause "Hard Knocks" is the kind of show that can DESTROY a football team ... so says NY Giants co-owner Steve Tisch.

Tisch -- and the entire Giants organization -- have made it clear the team will NEVER agree to participate in the HBO docu-series, and yesterday in L.A., Tisch explained why.

"I don't think it brings anything to the team," Tisch said ... "It's a bit of a distraction and I think it's sort of misleading for the players ... especially the young guys."

Tisch continued, "Even though It comes off as a documentary, you're asking young athletes to perform. Perform on the field ... don't perform in the locker room for a TV show."

"I don't think it's in the players' best interest."

Clearly, the Cincinnati Bengals don't feel the same way. They're currently participating on the show for the SECOND time.

This video is pretty great ... Kristin Cavallari messing with the paps after a night of clubbing in Hollywood -- shakin' 'em down for cab fare in exchange for a photo ... and it's awesome.

It's that classic KC bitchiness we all know and love ... with the reality star shaming the paparazzi for $5 outside Hooray Henry's in Hollywood -- "I just posed for you. Pony the f*ck up."

Eventually, one of the snappers opens his wallet ... but Kristin was clearly not impressed.

It's not like she needs the money -- her husband Jay Cutler is at the end of a 5-year $50 million contract.

Aaron Maybin's career took a surprising turn for the better last night -- 'cause after the linebacker was 86'd from the Cincinnati Bengals on "Hard Knocks," demand for his artwork went through the roof ... TMZ has learned.

Maybin's demise from the team was chronicled on the HBO docu-series last night -- along with his passion for painting. Cameras rolled as he worked on two pieces ... and his stuff was actually pretty good.

In fact, after the show ... Maybin tells TMZ his online gallery had “one of, if not THE biggest nights” of sales he’s ever seen.

AM says he was bummed out that his release from the team was televised -- telling us, "I turned my phone off last night, I just didn’t want to talk to anyone.” But when he turned it back on, Aaron says he was bombarded with messages from people asking how to get their hands on his artwork.

Maybin says he's feeling much better about his future today -- saying, "Regardless of whatever happens football-wise, I'm probably gonna make more money in my art career."

11:20 AM PT Richie Incognito is a seriously forgiving dude ... telling us, "Football is an intense game. I've been there. Emotions run high. People lose their cool ... thank God no one got hurt."

No blood no foul in the case of the violent helmet swinging incident between Houston Texans Antonio Smith and Miami Dolphins Richie Incognito -- because Incognito is willing to let it slide ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the Dolphins offensive lineman tell us he has no plans to press criminal charges for the vicious altercation during Saturday's preseason game.

The video, first aired on FOX Sports 1, is ugly – while the players were grappling, Smith ripped off Incognito's helmet and swung it HARD right at his noggin.

We're told Incognito's totally fine, so at worst it was probably a grazing shot -- but considering NFL helmets weigh as much as 6 pounds of hard plastic -- Smith could've done some serious damage.

Houston police and the Harris County Sheriff tell us they would only take action against Smith ... if Incognito filed a complaint.

Miami Dolphins legend Mercury Morris ain't a fan of the N-word -- as in, Nixon ... Richard Nixon.

The unofficial mouthpiece for the undefeated '72 Super Bowl champs arrived in D.C. this week ... and told TMZ he’s glad his victory trip to the White House is coming 40 years after the fact -- so he doesn't have to deal with a racist President like Tricky Dick.

FYI -- The Fins never got a chance to meet the POTUS after their undefeated season because the President was dealing with some issues of his own at the time ... issues that rhyme with shmatergate.

But today, members of the team have finally been invited to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to get their long-awaited congratulatory handshake from the Commander In Chief ... and running back Mercury Morris is pumped.

The best part of the encounter -- we asked MM if he would rather meet Obama or Nixon, and he couldn't have been more clear ... telling us, "OH PLEASE MAN. Didn't you see the Nixon tapes? He may have called me a name man."

QUICK HISTORY LESSON -- "The Nixon Tapes” were explosive recordings in which R.N. could be heard referring to black people as ... well, do we really need to spell it out?

Of course, the '72 Fins aren't the only team to finish the regular season undefeated -- the 2007 Pats also accomplished the feat. But you won't see them at the White House anytime soon ... thanks to Eli Manning and one sticky helmet.

Santonio Holmes made a triumphant return to NY Jets practice after his devastating foot injury, and let's just say ... dude's got a way to go before he's game ready.

The Jets' star receiver (aka Mark Sanchez's best chance to keep his starting QB job) was practicing today at MetLife Stadium -- coming off a foot injury that benched him for almost all of last season.

In the vid, Santonio runs a pretty tight pass pattern -- but you gotta watch to see how the play ends.

You saw the injury ... you saw the tears ... but Cincinnati Bengals lineman Larry Black tells TMZ he is DETERMINED to get back into the NFL after mangling his leg in a freak accident captured on "Hard Knocks."

Millions watched as Black's promising rookie campaign came to a heart wrenching end last week when he suffered a dislocated ankle and broken fibula during a routine practice drill.

The big man's tearful phone call to his parents to pick him up from the hospital was... gulp, tissue... was the most poignant scene in the gritty behind the scenes show's history.

"The outpouring of support has been crazy ... thousands of tweets and letters coming from all over the world."

Black says doctors estimate his recovery will take between 6 and 12 months ... but he's confident, the injury won't stop him from pursuing his NFL dreams.

"If for some reason I don’t make it back – I've got a degree in Sports Management from Indiana and I’ll try to get a job with either a college or pro team helping to work with the athletes."

"But honestly I’m not even thinking about that right now. I’m just focused on getting back as quickly as possible. I’ll definitely be back."

There's a silver lining for the big man, who was an undrafted free agent ... because the injury was sustained on the field, he'll still get paid for the season -- and will pull in a figure just north of $200k ... in addition to his medical care.

In the meantime, Black says he's still rooting hard for the orange and black -- telling us he expects nothing less than a Super Bowl season.

Sporting some traditional red & blue bowling kicks, khaki shorts and a facial expression that says, "Errr mah gerd" ... Eli Manning hit up a NY bowling alley with his teammates Tuesday night and TMZ has the pics.

Eli, along with wideout Victor Cruz and the entire NY Giants squad, snuck into Frames in midtown Tuesday night -- with a police escort -- for a top secret bowling session.

According to Frames, the event was 100% alcohol-free ... since the team is in the middle of some hardcore pre-season training. Nothing but juice and water.

Despite looking goofy on lanes, Eli actually put up some pretty decent numbers that night -- bowling a 154.

Cruz wasn't too far behind, posting a respectable 134. Coach Tom Coughlin scored a 113.

Denver Broncos star linebacker Von Miller was arrested Sunday at a gun club in Colorado ... but his arrest has NOTHING to do with firearms, TMZ has learned.

The 24-year-old All-Pro was trying to enter the Centennial Gun Store and Range just outside of Denver -- and submitted to a routine mandatory background check, as required by everyone looking to shoot at the range.

But the background check revealed a warrant out for Miller's arrest -- which was issued back in January after he failed to appear in court to face multiple traffic violations.

According to law enforcement, Miller had been charged with careless driving, driving without a license and having no proof of insurance back in October 2012.

Miller was taken into custody at the gun shop -- and was hauled to a nearby Sheriff's Dept. where he was booked ... and posed for a mug shot, obtained by TMZ.

Miller was eventually released on a $1,000 bond.

Another HUGE blow for the New England Patriots (and female football fans worldwide) -- 'cause Tom Brady suffered a brutal knee injury during a team scrimmage today ... and it looks bad. Real bad.

Brady -- who was wearing a red "keep your damn hands off me" jersey at the time -- had dropped back to pass when the pocket collapsed on him.... and it appears a lineman fell on his knee.

Brady dropped like a sack of potatoes ... clutching his left knee -- the same knee he destroyed on opening day back in 2008.

Brady was eventually helped off the field and is currently undergoing evaluation.

Paging Tim Tebow ...

3:20 PM PT An MRI on Brady's knee was negative ... according to ESPN.

Former NFL superstar Hugh Douglas has just been FIRED from his gig on an ESPN show in the wake of reports he called his co-host an "Uncle Tom."

Douglas -- a former Philadelphia Eagles defensive stud -- had co-hosted ESPN's "Numbers Never Lie" ... along with Michael Smith.

But according to several reports, Douglas and Smith got into a heated altercation at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Orlando last Tuesday ...with Douglas allegedly hurling the racially charged insult at Smith, who is black.

Douglas never confirmed the incident ... but ESPN had previously told media outlets they were "aware there was a disagreement" between the two men.

Moments ago, ESPN took action -- 86'ing Douglas from the network, effective immediately.

There's confidence. There's overconfidence. Then there's Jerry Jones ... who made it clear, the Dallas Cowboys are WINNING the Super Bowl this year. Period.

The Cowboys owner was leaving Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills last night when he told us how it's gonna be in 2013 ... SB or bust.

The Cowboys haven't looked too shabby in their first two pre-season games -- with Dez Bryant looking especially beastly.

But do they have what it takes to go all the way this year? Or will Tony Romo find yet another way to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory?