NFL

Great news for Tennessee Titans linebacker Avery Williamson -- his 9/11 tribute cleats just sold at auction for $6,600 ... and it's all going toward a charity to help U.S. soldiers!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Williamson customized his Nikes to honor the victims and first responders -- with patriotic symbols and the words "Never Forget" written on the back.

After he wore them in the game, Williamson put the cleats up for auction on CharityBuzz.com to raise money for Operation Warrior Wishes.

FYI -- the winner ain't just gettin' the cleats. The auction winner gets 2 tickets to a Tennessee Titans home game ... as well as an opportunity to chill with Avery.

Nice work.

No Brady or Garoppolo? No problem ... 'cause backup Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett's no stranger to filling in on short notice.

With Tom Brady (suspended) and Jimmy Garoppolo (injured) sidelined, 23-year-old Brissett will take over under center against the Texans this Thursday.

TMZ Sports spoke with Jack Daniels -- Brissett's football coach at Dwyer High School in Florida -- who tells us the rookie signal caller started showing his insane game preparation when he was a freshman.

"He's been through this before," Daniels says. "We were facing one of the best teams in the country and our starter went down. Jacoby came in as a 15-year-old and went 12 for 12."

“I talked to him after the game. He’s excited for the opportunity to play. He’s going to do whatever he can to help this team win. I think he’s going to be a little nervous.”

It doesn't matter how hard he's been working or how many people he's apologized to ... Ray Rice should NEVER play another down in the NFL ... so says Jay Glazer.

"I've always had this mindset that if you play a violent sport and you knock your wife out or your girlfriend and put your hands on a woman, you should be stripped of that privilege forever."

Michael Rapaport channeled his inner Danny Aiello to scream at Jay Cutler Monday night -- blasting the Bears QB as a "mayonnaise and newspaper breath smelling motherf*****."

It's hilarious ... Rapaport's obviously paying tribute to Aiello's character in "Do the Right Thing."

LeSean McCoy has been hit with a lawsuit by two off-duty cops who say the Buffalo Bills running back and his crew beat the hell out of them during a bar fight in Philly.

The officers behind the suit, Darnell Jessie and Roland Butler, claim they were partying at Recess Lounge back in February when McCoy and his crew attacked them.

An attorney for the officer told ESPN both men suffered "serious and permanent injuries."

The officers are also suing Recess and 3 members of McCoy's party -- Curtis Brinkley, Tamarcus Porter and Christopher Henderson.

D.L. Hughley is demanding action from some NFL legends -- calling out Jerry Rice, Ray Lewis and others who condemned Colin Kaepernick ... and asking why they're not as upset about the shooting of Terence Crutcher.

Of course, Crutcher is the 40-year-old black man who was shot by a white police officer in Tulsa while his hands were raised and he appeared to be surrendering.

"All the people from Jerry Rice to Jason Whitlock to Ray Lewis to Rodney Harrison who was so upset about Colin Kaepernick not standing up, I wish all of them were just as upset about Terence Crutcher getting shot down as they were about Colin Kaepernick not standing up," Hughley said.

For reference, here are the previous statements the NFL legends made about Kaepernick:

Jerry Rice -- "All lives matter. So much going on in this world today. Can we all just get along! Colin, I respect your stance but don't disrespect the Flag."

Ray Lewis -- "Listen I understand what you're trying to do, but understand, take the flag out of it. I have uncles, I've got brothers, going into the military, that said I will never see you again. To understand that I will always respect that part of what our patriotism should be. And that's the side that I think if Colin just really steps back, to effect change, to effect true change in what he's trying to say, if you don't have a real solution, if you ain't seen as a true activist, to go into hoods and do these things on a daily basis and not just jump up and just protest off this one thing because you're sick of it -- we've been sick of racism for 400-plus years."

Rodney Harrison -- "I think his heart is in the right place, I just think he was going about it in the wrong way. If he really wants to make change, sitting his butt down [during the anthem], that’s not going to change, that’s going to get people very upset and he has to understand that."

With the Cleveland Browns in serious quarterback trouble, Johnny Manziel says one thing's for sure -- they're definitely not calling him.

Good news from Jaguars O-lineman Kelvin Beachum's father ... who tells TMZ Sports his son is expected to be released from the hospital soon after sustaining a concussion against the Chargers.

During the 3rd quarter, Beachum was kicked in the head by an opposing player and laid motionless on the ground for several minutes before getting carted off the field.

We spoke to Kelvin Beachum Sr., who talked to Kelvin this morning and says "he's doing much better."

"It was pretty scary seeing your son laying on the field for a long period of time," Kelvin Sr. says. "They're still running tests on him right now. They'll keep him for the rest of the day and then he'll be able to go home."

**CELEBRITY FANTASY FOOTBALL ALERT**

If you're ready to drop Russell Wilson after that terrible game against the Rams ... WAIT!

Chris Pratt strongly advises you to keep him on your fantasy team -- and moments ago in NYC, he explained why.

New England Pats owner Bob Kraft came face-to-face with one of his most famous ex-WRs this weekend, Wes Welker ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Turns out, the two both happened to be dining at Capo Restaurant in Boston (a pro athlete hot spot) on Saturday night -- before the Patriots took on the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium.

We're told the owner of the place told Wes that Bob was dining in another section of the restaurant -- and Wes decided to go pay his old boss a visit.

A restaurant spokesperson tells us both Wes and Kraft left their parties and sat down at their own table -- where they talked by themselves for roughly 30 minutes and drank martinis.

Unclear what they talked about -- but Welker was telling staffers that he was in town to throw with Tom Brady ... which he did.

The next day, Welker went to the game ... dressed in a Tom Brady mask ... and the fans LOVED it.

He may have been supporting the home team, but LeBron James still got a bunch of crap from Rams fans at the Coliseum on Sunday ... getting peppered with "Kobe!" chants from the stands.

Besides James, there was a TON of huge stars at the Rams game -- the first NFL home game in Los Angeles in years -- including Magic Johnson, Ty Burrell, Flea, Anthony Kiedis, CeeLo, James Corden and more!

[h/t BSO]

NFL safety Chris Clemons has been charged with assault after he allegedly knocked out a woman outside a Scottsdale club in May ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Clemons -- who last played for the Arizona Cardinals -- was accused of punching a woman in the face after she got into an altercation with one of his female companions.

Cops spoke to Clemons at the scene -- but didn't realize he was the guy they were looking for, so they let him go. The strange interaction was captured on a body camera.

According to court records, Clemons was charged with assault causing physical injury -- a misdemeanor that could land him in county jail for up to 6 months.

Mike Golic says his brother's 3 NFL Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro teams and CFB All-American honors pale in comparison to his biggest accomplishment ... starring in "Saved By The Bell: The College Years."

We got Mike out in NYC and had to ask him about his big bro Bob's big TV break ... when he played Zack and Slater's resident adviser on the short-lived (but classic) TV show.

Check out the clip -- Mike has all kinds of fun with Bob's place in history ... because despite Bob's DAMN FINE 13 year NFL career, his legacy will always and forever remain ... Bayside adjacent.

Could be worse ... right, Screech?

James Woods says Colin Kaepernick is a "dirtbag" -- and he's so pissed at the NFL for not punishing the QB over his national anthem protest he's boycotting the league ... FOR LIFE!!

Forget Bo Jackson ... who cares about Deion Sanders ... Tim Tebow? PLEASE ... There's a new 2 sport athlete on the horizon ... Chad Johnson's daughter, Cha'iel ... who just picked up soccer.

AND SHE'S FREAKIN' GOOD.

You've heard Cha'iel's name before ... she's an absolute PHENOM on the track, having won a gold medal in the 800 meters at the Junior Olympics this past August.

Well, now she's trying soccer ... and from the looks of the video her dad posted to Instagram just now ... the domination shall continue ... you gotta watch as she torches the whole team and scores.

The Buffalo Bills are retiring Bruce Smith's jersey Thursday night -- but the most stylish tribute will come from his old teammate Andre Reed.

Reed -- who played with Smith on the '90s Super Bowl team -- hit up Billy Hobbs of True Blue Customs (the guy who made Avery Williamson's 9/11 cleats) and asked him to pimp out a pair of Nike Air Force 1s.

The result -- a nautical blue and red tribute ... complete with the Bills logo and an image of the legendary defensive end right on the shoes.

It gets better ... we're told Andre and Bruce will autograph the kicks and auction them off -- with proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Buffalo.