NFL

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are finally making some progress ... at least when it comes to fashion ... because TWO top couture designers tell us the new Bucs uniforms are downright SEXY!

TMZ Sports spoke with "Project Runway" alum Michael Costello -- who also designed Beyonce's Grammy dress -- and he tells us he's all about the change in Tampa Bay.

"I LOVE the new uniform," Costello says ... "It's fresh, it's cool. It's a lot sexier. The old one looked like a t-shirt."

We also spoke with celeb stylist/designer June Ambrose ... who's worked with huge stars like Jay Z and Diddy ... who's also fired up for the Bucs' new uni to hit the field.

"The look reminds me of this wild black bird! It's a sexy suit ... looks like it's ready for the runway!"

Ambrose adds, "I love how it minimizes the tight end of the players tail. The suit is sleek and super powerful! All the ingredients for the iconic class."

It's good news for the Bucs -- 'cause as Deion Sanders once said: "If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good."

Nick Cannon suddenly has something in common with 2 Super Bowl champs -- they were all targeted for tens of thousands of dollars by an alleged scam artist who just got slapped with multiple felonies.

As TMZ Sports first reported ... ex-Patriots star Jarvis Green was nearly ripped off earlier this year ... by a man who claimed he could hook him up with Miami Heat season tickets AND partial ownership of the team.

According to the California Attorney General's office ... George French Jones made similar offers to Charles Woodson, Warren Moon, and oddly ... Cannon.

Jones was charged today with 11 felonies ... including grand theft, obtaining money by false pretenses, and identity theft.

What's interesting is how much cash he tried to lift from each victim: $50k from Woodson, and $25k from Green.

Clearly he didn't think Nick's pockets were as deep ... because he only asked for, and ultimately got, $15k from Mariah's husband.

But the biggest fish was Moon -- whose rep wired $200,000 to Jones, according to the docs.

Darren Sharper will sit in a Los Angeles jail for another week, while the clock ticks as the New Orleans D.A. decides whether to charge the football star with rape.

Sharper appeared in court today ... trying to get out of the slammer he's been sitting in since last week ... when a New Orleans judge issued an arrest warrant in connection with rape allegations by 2 women.

Sharper wanted out of jail today, but the L.A. Superior Court judge concluded she can't let him because the New Orleans D.A. has 10 full business days to decide whether to charge Sharper. The judge felt she had an obligation to hold him until the 10-day period runs out next Thursday.

So Sharper will sit behind bars and New Orleans has to decide whether to s*** or get off the pot. If he isn't charged by next Thursday, it appears the judge will release Sharper, who has already posted $1 million bail for rape charges that have been filed against him in L.A. County.

Aaron Hernandez has been charged with assault and battery for a ferocious attack on a defenseless inmate last month ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to Sheriff Thomas Hodgson ... the charge is a misdemeanor offense.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Hernandez attacked an inmate who was wearing handcuffs on February 25th. Our sources tell us the victim had been talking smack to Hernandez.

Hernandez was supposed to be isolated for his own protection.

Cops are investigating text messages in a murder-for-hire case in which a skin specialist to the stars bragged about soliciting former Detroit Lions offensive lineman Chris Geile to kill a rival skin specialist ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Geile was a guard who played 3 games for the Lions in 1987.

We reached out to Chris for comment -- but could not reach him.

We know ... skin specialist Dawn DaLuise was arrested on Wednesday for solicitation to commit murder .

Our sources tell us ... the text messages in question were allegedly sent from Dawn to a friend -- and in them, she brags that Chris will "take out" her intended target. She also mentions that Chris is 6'7" and 315 lbs. She also claims he was a QB ... but that just ain't true.

As for DaLuise -- she's currently being held on $1 million bail.

A former Detroit Lions football player is suspected of being the hit man in a real-life Hollywood murder for-hire-plot ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.

The identity of the former NFL player has not been released ... but sources tell us the guy is VERY big (in size).

Here's the backstory -- we know ... celebrity skin specialist Dawn DaLuise was arrested Wednesday for allegedly trying to hire someone to kill a skin care competitor. Sources tell us the person she contacted once played for the Lions.

FYI -- The murder was never carried out ... cops stepped in after someone tipped them off about the alleged plot.

Robert Kraft's hot young girlfriend just scored her very first producer credit on a documentary movie ... a movie that happens to be funded by Kraft's foundation ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Ricki Noel Lander is officially credited as a producer on "Israel: The Royal Tour" ... which follows CBS news travel guy Peter Greenberg and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they travel around Israel.

The movie aired on PBS Thursday night and will be released as a DVD. A press release for the flick says it was "made possible in part by the generous contributions of Robert K. Kraft and the Robert and Myra Kraft Family Foundation."

As for Lander -- who's reportedly been dating the New England Patriots owner since 2012 -- she not only makes a brief appearance in the doc (she can be seen holding a camera), she also hosts the "behind the scenes" special included with the movie.

It's not like Ricki is a stranger to production -- she's been in a bunch of movies as an actress including "Iron Man." But now, it seems she's finally got the connections to make the jump to producer.

Hollywood -- it ain't whatcha know, it's who ya know.

Darren Sharper's ex-girlfriend -- a woman who dated the ex-NFLer for nearly a year -- tells TMZ Sports she was "completely shocked" by the rape allegations ... saying, "It's the opposite of the guy I knew."

The woman, who asked not to be named in this post, told us Sharper was not a booze-obsessed, drink-spiking maniac during their time together.

In fact, the woman says, "He didn't want me to drink. Never offered me drugs. He was really concerned with how I was around him."

"I've seen him help people. We went to a charity event together. He was egotistical, but the guy that I know is not like [the way he's been described in police reports]."

The woman tells us she found it "weird" when she heard about the allegations against Sharper in 5 states because "most women who would ask me about him would drop their drawers for him in a second."

Sharper's ex says Darren did some research on her before they started dating -- trying to get as much info on her as possible -- but only to make sure she wasn't a "crazy girl."

Terrell Owens' estranged wife says she DESERVES to continue the lifestyle she grew accustomed to during their 72 hours of marriage ... and that's why she's going after alimony, TMZ Sports has learned.

Rachel Snider has finally responded to T.O.'s divorce petition -- and in documents she filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Snider says she also wants Owens to pay for her legal costs.

It's basically a middle-finger back to T.O. -- who checked the box asking Rachel to foot the legal bill. Rachel is also asking to legally drop "Owens" as her last name.

There's one thing they both agree on -- the marriage only lasted from January 23rd to January 26th.

In Rachel's docs, she also makes it clear she's going to fight Owens' claim that there's no community property.

Darren Sharper "admitted" to witnesses that he and a 2nd suspect raped two women back in September ... this according to New Orleans investigators.

The N.O.P.D. has released the application for the arrest warrant of Sharper's alleged associate Erik Nunez -- in which officials allege both men had non-consensual sex with two women who were "substantially impaired" on September 23.

Cops say a "known acquaintance" observed Sharper in the NFL star's apartment wearing only his boxers -- and saw Nunez exiting Sharper's bedroom in his boxers as well.

In the document, officials say ... "Through further investigation by the detectives it was learned that Nunez and Sharper admitted to other known witnesses that he and Sharper had vaginal and/or oral sex with victims #1 and #2 without their knowledge or permission."

Former NFL wide receiver Michael Clayton has been friends with Lil Boosie since they were kids -- and he tells TMZ Sports he's VERY EXCITED his "dawg" is finally out of prison.

Boosie was released from Louisiana State Penitentiary on Wednesday, where the rapper had been locked up since 2009 for drugs.

Now that Boosie's free, Clayton -- who was a beast on the Tampa Bay Bucs -- says, "For me, it feels really good that he's out."

"He's got a sweet soul," Clayton says ... "He took care of a lot of people before he went to prison."

Clayton says he just spoke with Boosie's mother -- who says she's "very happy to have her baby home."

Michael -- who stayed in touch with Boosie throughout his prison stint -- is also optimistic that Boosie left the pokey a changed man.

"He learned a good lesson," Michael says ... "Sometimes being behind them bars helps you learn."

DeAngelo Williams didn't just kill the Giants this year ... he also slaughtered some deer, turkey, rabbit and duck ... 'cause the Carolina Panthers running back is a hardcore hunting machine.

"I hunt all year round," Williams tells TMZ Sports ... "In season, out of season. I hunt everything."

He's not kidding ... Williams documents his kills on social media -- posting photos of the animals he tracks down and shoots.

But Williams insists he doesn't just hunt for the hell of it -- "I shoot to eat. If you kill it, you eat it. I tell my friends, if you kill a skunk, you eat it."

“I make my own jerky. My specialty is deer jerky. My 3-year-old loves it.”

The 30-year-old Arkansas native says it's all part of his obsession with nature -- "There’s no traffic, no people. Right before you pull the trigger you almost feel one with the animal.”

"Last year I shot a 20 pound turkey!"

If Darren Sharper wasn't locked up on rape charges, he'd be pretty pumped right now -- 'cause he recently won a $178k lawsuit in a war over a crappy remodeling job on his FL condo ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sharper had sued a Florida construction company, along with an interior designer, that botched a very expensive construction job at the former NFL star's swanky condo.

Sharper's Florida attorney, Michael Simon, tells us ... "There was work that wasn't done properly. There was work that wasn't completed. We went to court to get Darren's money back."

In the end, the judge sided with Sharper -- and ordered the companies to pay up.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Philip Wheeler says his girlfriend is being unfairly attacked over a picture showing her breast-feeding their son ... and now he's calling for people to stop the boob hate, asap.

Wheeler's GF is model Ashley Nicole -- who recently posted a photo showing her son latched on to her right breast inside of their home. She included the caption, "Was on the way out the door but then mommy duty called... Everything stops for him! #breastisbest #natureisbeautiful."

Problem is ... not everyone felt the same way -- and social media erupted with people trashing Nicole for posting the pic in the first place.

TMZ Sports spoke to Wheeler ... who says, "I wish everybody would just leave it alone" ... adding, "She's a model. She takes pictures for a living."

Wheeler pointed out that Gisele posted a breast-feeding pic back in December -- and was widely praised for it -- and doesn't understand why his GF isn't getting the same love.

As for the pic, it's still posted on Ashley's Instagram page -- and we're told she has no plans to take it down.

Terry Bradshaw had a serious decision to make recently -- do I really let a kicker marry my daughter???

Don't worry ... to the delight of Tennessee Titans star Rob Bironas, he said "Yes!"

In case you didn't put two and two together, Bironas is engaged to Terry's oldest daughter Rachel ... but before he popped the question, Rob went the traditional route and asked Terry for his blessing.

"I felt waiting a year before asking for his blessing was both respectful and good timing since I was in season," Rob says.

When he finally got the chance (early one morning at Terry's Oklahoma ranch) ... Rob says the 1-on-1 session with his future father-in-law couldn't have gone better.

“He didn't give me much grief at all. He took it easy on me.”

"The truth is I knew I was going to marry Rachel when I first met her. It was a waiting game. I bought her ring six months earlier and had it sitting in a safe and I couldn't wait to put it on her finger."