NFL

Richie Incognito says Jonathan Martin contemplated suicide back in May because he wasn't playing well ... and Richie just told the world on Twitter.

After weeks of silence, Incognito just WENT OFF on Martin ... saying "the truth will bury you and your entire camp."

But then Richie dropped the bombshell ... "FACT: Jonathan Martin told me he thought about taking his own life in MAY 2013 b/c he wasn't playing well. Told me he felt worthless."

The timing of Incognito's rant is interesting ... considering the man the Miami Dolphins appointed to investigate the alleged "bullying" situation is expected to release his report in the very near future.

Johnny Football got hops.

The former Texas A&M quarterback -- who could be the #1 pick in the NFL Draft -- was messin' around on the basketball court with his college WR Mike Evans ... both showing off their dunking abilities.

Evans (6'5", 225) is clearly the superior dunker ... dude even threw down a nice 360 jam.

Oh, did we mention he did it all while wearing FLIP FLOPS?!

But Manziel (6'1", 210) proved he's got hang time too ... throwing down a two-handed dunk.

He was in basketball sneakers, tho.

The battle lines in the NFL gay rights struggle will be drawn in the showers ... according to one former NFL star.

Super Bowl champion Raheem Brock -- who spent 10 years in the league -- tells TMZ Sports ... there will be a massive coverup when openly gay players like Michael Sam enter the locker room.

Brock says, "Guys won't go in the shower if they know a guy's gay in there. They gonna feel uncomfortable. I wouldn't [go in the shower]."

He continues, "I mean I would stay at my locker and chill until he's done getting out of the shower."

Drew Brees returned to the city that kicked him to the curb this week ... San Diego ... but not without reminding the locals which team he plays for now.

The NFL superstar hit up a local park with 2 of his sons for a little baseball workout ... they ran the bases, played catch ... it was adorable.

But the funny thing ... Brees -- who played for the Chargers before they stupidly let him go in 2006 -- had one of his kids dressed up in a New Orleans Saints jersey (#43 Darren Sproles).

Seneca Wallace went to Japan ... and all he got was this weird black penis cookie.

The former Green Bay Packers QB -- along with other NFL stars -- went to Asia recently to visit U.S. troops stationed abroad. But when the guys stopped in the Land of the Rising Sun, they stumbled upon an interesting cultural artifact ... baby penis cookie (chocolate flavored).

We ran the cookie box by our in-house Japanese expert (Yori our camera guy) ... who tells us the Japanese word at the top of the packaging translates loosely to "weiner."

Seneca tells TMZ Sports he wasn't offended by the black penis cookie ... partially because "there was a vanilla flavor with a white baby on the cover."

Japanese desserts -- extremely weird ... but not overly racist!

Michael Sam's college quarterback tells TMZ Sports ... he and other teammates "accepted" the openly gay football star during their time at Missouri ... but they don't "support" homosexuality.

We spoke with James Franklin -- who just completed his senior year at U of M and just like Sam, is expected to be selected in the upcoming NFL Draft.

"I don't drink. I don't curse. I don't support [homosexuality] -- but it doesn't mean I don't accept Michael," Franklin says.

When asked if he was supportive of Sam when he made his announcement in August, Franklin said ... "I wouldn't say supportive, but accepting. A lot of people confuse supporting and accepting."

Still, Franklin says ... "Michael respected us. He didn't make us feel uncomfortable in the locker room."

Michael Sam is one HELLUVA dancer -- in fact, the NFL prospect showed off his moves at a gay club in Missouri shot months ago and he didn't care who was watching ... now TMZ Sports has the footage.

Sam hit up the SoCo nightclub in Columbia, MO back in October -- just a few months after he came out to his teammates -- and let loose! So even though Sam made his public declaration Sunday, the reality is he's been out for a while.

In the footage, Sam (sans shirt) is gettin' down to Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" ... grinding all over a bunch of women, who seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Problem is ... shirts are required at the club -- and sources tell us at one point, security approached Sam and asked him to cover up.

He laughed at first ... but eventually complied.

Michael Sam is "an instant hero in the gay and lesbian community" ... so says the brother of NFL commish Roger Goodell, who's also openly gay.

TMZ Sports spoke to Michael Goodell ... who says "it's about time" a top NFL prospect was brave enough to be open about his sexuality.

In fact, Michael compares Sam to Jackie Robinson -- saying because of the defensive end's courage, homosexuality in the NFL "won't be an issue in 10 to 20 years."

Michael -- who's very close with his brother -- says he hasn't spoken to Roger about Michael Sam yet ... but says he knows, "Roger is fine with this. He's a good businessman and he's been around this issue his whole life."

Well, Michael Sam ... here's what you're up against.

Former NFL coach-turned-ESPN analyst Herm Edwards went on the air last night and declared that Sam's sexual orientation is considered "baggage" and coaches will have to decide if they want it in their locker rooms.

"He's a player that has issues," Edwards said referring to Sam's sexual orientation ... "Off the field issues."

He continued, "The thing you talk about in your organization with the G.M. and obivously the owner is, 'Can we handle this guy?' Can we handle the media that's gonna come along with this situation?"

Former 1st round NFL draft pick Keith McCants was arrested for drugs in Alabama this weekend, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 45-year--old -- who played for the Tampa Bay Bucs, Houston Oilers and AZ Cardinals from '90 to '95 -- was popped for possession of a controlled substance in Mobile on Sunday morning.

It's AT LEAST the 12th time McCants has been busted for drugs since 2002 -- including cocaine arrests in 2011 and 2010.

Keith's life has been in a tailspin for years ... just a few years ago, he appeared on the 2012 ESPN "30 for 30" documentary "Broke" and talked about how he squandered his immense fortune on houses, cars and boats.

Seattle Seahawks stud Malcolm Smith tells TMZ Sports he won't be taking home the brand new Chevy truck he won for being MVP of Super Bowl XLVIII ... nah, he's giving it to his MOM instead!!

How cool is that?

And it gets better -- mom wants to PIMP OUT her her ride!!!

Smith was leaving P.F. Chang's in L.A. on Sunday along with his MVP celebrity stylist Vick Michel when he told us all about his plans for the $50k vehicle ... "[Mom] says she wants to put black rims on it."

As for Malcolm, don't feel too bad about his driving situation -- he already has a Chevy Tahoe in his garage.

The first openly gay NFL draft prospect is already getting major support from an NFL owner -- NY Giants honcho Steve Tisch, who tells TMZ Sports he "hopes" teams don't let Michael Sam's sexual orientation dissuade them from drafting such a stellar athlete.

The University of Missouri defensive end -- who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year -- just completed his senior season and is very likely to be taken in the upcoming NFL Draft.

While Tisch wouldn't reveal if Sam is on his team's draft board, he did tell us ... "Michael Sam is a gifted athlete and a courageous man."

Missouri Tigers superstar Michael Sam -- one of the best college football players in the country -- has revealed he's gay ... and the timing comes just months before he will enter the NFL Draft.

Sam -- the SEC Defensive Player of the Year -- made the announcement publicly on Sunday ... saying, "I am an openly, proud gay man."

If (and when) he's drafted, Sam will be the first openly gay man on an NFL roster in the history of the league.

"I understand how big this is. It's a big deal. No one has done this before. And it's kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be ... I want to be a football player in the NFL."

24-year-old Sam said he already confided in a few friends ... and realized people knew while he was at the Senior Bowl. Sam says he dated another male athlete at Missouri, but not a member of the football team.

Sam says he finally came out to his teammates last year ... and they couldn't have been more supportive.

DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT RICHARD SHERMAN'S ANKLE ... 'cause less than one week after injuring it in the Super Bowl, the Seahawks star was partying hard on it during a rager in Vegas!!!

Sherman -- along with fellow Legion of Boomer Kam Chancellor -- hit up the Chateau nightclub in Sin City Saturday night ... and cut loose, despite suffering a high ankle sprain during the Feb. 2nd victory.

Seemed like Sherman was feeling "no pain" that night -- we're guessing the gang of hot chicks following him around that night makes a man forget about a freak joint injury.

Meanwhile, Peyton Manning is still sad somewhere ..

With his marriage in shambles, Terrell Owens is getting some sage advice from his friend, former NFL teammate and experienced divorcee ... Chad Johnson.

We broke the story ... T.O.'s wife Rachel Snider has left the former NFL superstar, just 2 weeks after they tied the knot in a secret ceremony in Newhall, CA.

Now, Johnson tells TMZ Sports ... the whole thing is "an unfortunate situation for my big brother but this too shall pass."

Johnson continues, "All he needs is FIFA [the video game], which helped me get through such a difficult time."

Of course, Chad is referring to his split from Evelyn Lozada back in 2012 -- they were only married for 6 weeks when she filed for divorce.

Nothing takes the sting out of a brutal playoff loss like week on the beach on the beach ... so says Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry, who tells us he went straight to the tropics after KC's devastating 1st round defeat to the Colts.

"I threw a tantrum for about a week then went to Hawaii with my loved ones," Berry says.

We're told the 25-year-old Pro Bowler took roughly 15 family members on the trip to help him get over the bitter end to the 2013 season.

But what really put him in a good mood is when he found out his little brothers (who happen to be twins) accepted football scholarships to the University of Tennessee ... where he and his father played their college ball.

"It's one of those feeling that's hard to translate into words. Just seeing the twins grow up into the young men they are makes the whole family proud."