NFL

It pays to get into business with Peyton Manning ... TMZ has learned, the 21 Papa John's franchises he bought last year are KILLING IT right now -- and employees are calling it the "Peyton Factor."

We called up each of Peyton's 21 Papa John's in the Denver area, and the story is the same everywhere: business has greatly improved since the Broncos QB took the helm.

Before Peyton purchased the locations, several restaurants reported sales of $3,000-$4,000 on any given game day -- and that number has jumped up to roughly $5,000-$6,000/day ... which equals about 60 pizzas an hour.

One location reported a 25% increase in total sales since last year.

It helps that Peyton's killing it on the field too -- his Papa John's locations offer 50% off on Mondays after a Broncos win, and so far they're undefeated. Fans recognize Peyton's stores because they all feature cutouts of PM and Papa John ... and he even makes personal visits from time to time.

To compare, neighboring Papa John's locations NOT owned by Peyton reported no significant improvement in sales.

Adrian Peterson fathered a 5th child -- his 2nd secret child -- and the mother was a waitress at a popular Minnesota nightclub, TMZ has learned.

We've confirmed ... the child is a 3-month-old little girl who's living with her mom in Minnesota.

Sources close to the situation tell us the child's last name on her birth certificate is listed as "Peterson."

On the day Peterson's 2-year-old son Ty passed away, the mother of AP's 5th child posted an emotional message on her Facebook page about the situation.

"Today has been a long day finding out my [daughter's] brother passed away and knowing that she never even got to meet him."

Sources connected to the situation tell us ... the mother of AP's 5th child first met the NFL star while serving him as a VIP waitress at a place called Seven -- a steakhouse, sushi joint and ultralounge all wrapped in one.

It's unclear how involved Adrian has been in the child's life -- but the mother recently posted a photo showing the child decked out in Minnesota Vikings gear, so we're guessing they're cool.

Peterson has fathered 4 other children -- an 8-year-old daughter, a 4-year-old son, a 2-year-old son and another son, who died just months after AP learned he was the father.

Aaron Hernandez' fiancee didn't lie to investigators in the murder case against her man ... because she was in the dark just like everyone else, according to her lawyers.

Shayanna Jenkins​ appeared in a Massachusetts courtroom just a short time ago ... to face arraignment on one count of perjury for allegedly lying about dumping a box somewhere that allegedly contained the murder weapon. She claimed she didn't remember where she tossed it.

Her attorneys told the judge Shayanna didn't lie about anything ... because Aaron had a "don't ask, don't tell" relationship with her.

In fact, her lawyers say Shayanna actually provided information to cops ... that the murder victim -- Odin Lloyd -- provided weed to Hernandez.

The man who raised Adrian Peterson's 2-year-old son says he's sick and tired of people feeling sorry for the NFL star, claiming AP didn't care about the boy because he never got the chance to meet him.

We broke the story, AP only learned he was the biological dad a few months ago. Before the revelation, the child's mother was under the impression that the father was a man named Bobby Ruffin.

After the child passed away on Friday, Bobby went to his Facebook page and unloaded ... writing, "So tired of this poor Adrian Peterson sh*t. Let me blow all your minds. The boy who died was my son."

"Yes A.P. he was the biological father but I raised him and he carried my name. Tyrese Robert Ruffin. I don’t blame AP for not really caring cuz him and I both found out recently who the biological father was."

“AP met my son for the first time yest when my son was already in coma. I was here today when we pulled the plug, not him. He was happily practicing and has no problem playing on Sunday."

When Adrian Peterson was told that he might be the father of a love child in South Dakota, he suspected it was true ... but he took a DNA test just to be sure, TMZ has learned.

Sources very familiar with the situation tell us ... when AP was notified about the situation roughly 2 to 3 months ago, he immediately offered to step up and help out in any way he could.

Adrian didn't suspect he was being targeted in any sort of cash grab -- but we're told that he realized it would be smart to get definitive proof that he was the child's biological dad before he made any big moves.

We're told ... once the test came back positive, AP supercharged his efforts to be a part of the kid's life -- and also offered to help out financially.

As we first reported, Adrian had initially planned to meet the child in the next couple of weeks -- but instead, he rushed to the hospital last week after learning the boy was on life support stemming from injuries allegedly caused by the mother's boyfriend. The boy died shortly after Adrian visited him.

Our sources say ... Adrian plans to fly back to South Dakota to attend his son's funeral later this week. We're also told he will continue to communicate with the mother in the future.

Even the esteemed Senator from New York Chuck Schumer ... knows the NY Giants suck in the worst way possible ... and tells TMZ the broken U.S. government will probably get its act together before Eli and Company will.

Sen. Schumer was out in D.C. yesterday when he was asked to predict which will happen first -- the END of the government shutdown OR the END of the Giants' pathetic losing streak.

Schumer told us he's a huge fan of the G-Men and it pains him to say it ... but the smart money's on the boys in Washington ... not the guys in New York.

With his NFL career seemingly over, former pro quarterback Tim Tebow hit the beach in Hawaii this weekend ... without his shirt.

Tebow was spotted being oiled up by a woman ... but fear not, his virginity is safe -- the woman is his sister Katie.

There was a buzz that Tebow had a shot with the pathetic Jacksonville Jaguars, but when we asked Jags owner Shahid Kahn about it last week, the guy just laughed it off.

So now, Tebow is focusing on more important things ... his tan.

Justin Bieber is done driving like an a-hole inside his Calabasas community ... so says neighbor and NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson -- but Biebs 'aint off just yet.

Dickerson was cruising the 'Bas with his family ... and seemed relatively happy with Justin for making a change.

As you may recall, Bieber's fast driving earlier this year pissed off a ton of neighbors -- including Keyshawn Johnson who famously confronted him about it ... and Dickerson told us afterward he understood why.

The football legend doesn't give Justin a full pass though ... check out the video, you'll understand.

Peterson is set to face the Carolina Panthers any moment now -- and judging by the video ... fans inside the arena are gonna go OFF when AP hits the field.

As we previously reported ... Adrian insisted on playing in today's game following the death of his 2-year-old son and earlier today said, "God wants good to come from it."

Hines Ward proved he's an athletic beast in Hawaii this weekend -- taking part in one of the most difficult triathlon courses ever ... for 13 hours!!

The whole race went down in Kona for the Ironman Triathlon where Ward finished 1,680th place yesterday.

To complete the course ... Hines had to swim, ride his bike and run for insane lengths -- 2.4 miles, 112 miles and 26.2 miles, respectively.

After the race the 37-year old athlete said he couldn't have done it without his trainer and the man upstairs adding, "God is good! Trust me, I kept talking to The Lord to help me get through the marathon."

Multiple sources connected to the situation tell us ... roughly 2-3 months ago, the mother of the child had a paternity test done with an ex she suspected to be the father, in an effort to collect child support from him.

But the test turned up negative, so the woman went to Adrian ... with whom she had a sexual encounter several years ago.

We're told ... when Adrian was first informed about the matter, he didn't question the possibility he was the dad -- but rather asked how he could help the situation.

Sources tell us ... a few weeks ago, A.P. started to plan a trip to South Dakota to meet the child for the first time and he was supposed to fly out later this month.

But when he heard the news about the attack on the 2-year-old, Peterson dropped everything and jetted over to Sioux Falls as soon as he could.

We're told Adrian met the child for the first time while the boy was on life support.

Multiple sources tell us ... Adrian has been very involved since the tragedy and was the one pushing to have the child's organs donated to other people in need of a transplant.

As for the suspect, Joey Patterson, we're told Adrian has never met the guy.

Some guys give their wives diamonds when they give birth ... but Indianapolis Colts player Antoine Bethea just set the bar even higher ... lavishing his fiancee with a super tricked-out BMW.

Antoine tells TMZ ... he bought the 2013 BMW X6 to celebrate the birth of their daughter (that's called a push present, guys) and his fiancee's birthday ... then had the whip completely rebuilt.

Sources close to the customizing shop say the car has about $30K worth of modifications, including:

-body lowered 3 inches
-custom grill
-smoked head and tail lights
-customized bumpers
-powder coated black rims

And the sickest part of all ... lighted projectors in the doors that project the BMW logo onto the ground when the doors are open.

BMW. The ultimate birthing machine.

3:00 PM PDT: Peterson just sent a series of Tweets: "God Bless everyone and thank u so much. The NFL is a fraternity of brothers and I am thankful for the tweets, phone calls and text messages from my fellow players. Thank you to my family, my fans and fans of other teams for their support."

Adrian Peterson's 2-year-old son has died ... cops have confirmed.

Cops believe Peterson's son was severely beaten by 27-year-old Joseph Patterson, the man who was dating the mother of the NFL star's child.

As we reported, the mother of the child has decided to donate the child's organs to people in need.

The boy was on life support since 5:30 PM Thursday ... but his condition never improved ... so family members made the decision to take the child off the ventilator.

Sources tell TMZ .. Adrian was informed about the situation before the news went public.

We're told Peterson will be planning the funeral with other members of the boy's family.

Patterson was initially arrested in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for assault and battery of an infant -- and now, it's almost certain the charges will be elevated to murder.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall is taking it one step further with his infamous green shoes -- after disobeying the NFL's direct orders NOT to wear them on the field last night -- TMZ has learned, he's auctioning them off ... for charity.

Brandon announced he'd be wearing the green shoes during last night's game against the Giants -- in honor of Mental Illness Awareness Week -- but the NFL said he'd be fined if he did ... because the shoes violate the League's uniform policy. (The only exception is the pink shoes players are currently wearing to support breast cancer awareness.)

As you can see, Brandon (who was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in 2011) followed through with his promise ... and said he'd match the NFL's fine with a donation to a breast cancer charity. But he's not stopping there.

We've learned Brandon has now decided to auction off the green cleats, and donate the proceeds to his own foundation, dedicated to helping people cope with mental illnesses like his own. The auction is currently at $2,000.

FYI, if you're wondering how much Marshall could get fined by the NFL -- it could easily exceed $10,000.

Marshall was already fined $10,500 last year for wearing orange cleats -- not for any particular cause -- but since last night's stunt would be a repeat offense, the fine could be larger. It's expected to be handed down next week.

10:16 AM PT -- Multiple sources tell TMZ ... Peterson's son is currently on life support and hasn't had brain activity since 5:30 PM last night.

We're told the family is monitoring the situation closely, and if there is no improvement in 24 hours, the mother wants to remove life support and donate the boy's organs to people in need.

10:00 AM PT -- Adrian Peterson's father has confirmed ... the injured boy is, in fact, Adrian's son ... but it's NOT Adrian Peterson Jr.

The Pioneer Press spoke with Nelson Peterson ... who says, "All I can say is, we are asking for prayers and for respect for our family as we deal with this tragic situation."

8:41 AM PT -- Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell TMZ ... the injured child is Adrian's son, but it's not Adrian Peterson Jr., the child he's been famously photographed with in public over the years.

We reached out to Peterson's reps -- but so far, we have not heard back.

Adrian Peterson's 2-year-old son is currently in critical condition in a South Dakota hospital ... after he was allegedly severely beaten by the man dating the mother of his child, TMZ has learned.

The Minnesota Vikings running back immediately left his team to be with his son.

Officials tell us they've arrested the suspect, 27-year-old Joseph Patterson ... who's been charged with aggravated felony assault and battery of an infant.

According to law enforcement, emergency responders arrived to the apartment where Peterson's son was living at 5:46 PM on Wednesday ... and found the child unresponsive.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital and medical experts determined the injuries were consistent with abuse.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the child suffered severe head injuries.

Adrian Peterson just addressed the media ... and thanked everyone for their support in the wake of the terrible tragedy involving his 2-year-old son.

Adrian told reporters he's dealing with the situation privately ... but insisted he WILL be playing with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

We broke the story ... Adrian's 2-year-old was severely beaten by the boyfriend of the child's mother.

The suspect was arrested for assault and battery.