NFL

The head of a national women's rights group is calling for the NFL to suspend Ezekiel Elliott -- claiming his shirt-pulling stunt at a St. Patty's Day parade in Dallas was "a clear act of sexual assault."

We spoke with Shaunna Thomas -- co-founder of UltraViolet, an organization dedicated to fighting sexism and expanding women's rights who says she's seen the video and is convinced Zeke committed a crime.

"The reality is that what happened in that video was sexual assault, period."

Thomas also calls on Roger Goodell to take immediate disciplinary action to prove the league is serious about protecting women.

Ezekiel Elliott pulled a woman's shirt down -- exposing her bare breast -- during a St. Patrick's Day party in Dallas ... but a rep for Zeke says it was all in good fun.

Zeke was drinking a beer next to a group of people while on the roof of a Dallas bar to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Greenville Ave.

The woman is playing to paradegoers and motions at her breasts -- then points to Zeke. Next thing you know, he reaches over and pulls her top down, exposing her bare breast. She scrambles to cover up.

We spoke with Elliott's rep who told us the woman wasn't upset ... and actually hung out with Zeke and a group of friends after the parade ended.

Nonetheless ...

12:00 PM -- We just obtained more video of Zeke from the parade. We're told this was taken moments after the breast exposure.

Elliott reaches in a second time and she slaps him away before flashing her cleavage to the crowd below.

Why did the Falcons call PASSING PLAYS in the final minutes of the Super Bowl instead of running the ball and kicking a FG that would have put the game out of reach?!?!

That's exactly what we asked ATL head coach Dan Quinn.

Coach Quinn -- who couldn't have been nicer -- essentially says that drive is NOT why they lost the game. They blew other chances to ice the Patriots, too.

The good news ... he's staying positive and says, "Hopefully we get a chance to battle for one again. We'll be ready."

Michael Floyd is a free man ... kinda!

The New England Patriots WR was released from an Arizona jail early Saturday around 5 AM, where he's been locked up since February 16th for his extreme DUI conviction.

But he's not entirely a free man -- because now he begins the house arrest part his sentence ... a sentence that essentially requires him to remain in the confines of his home for the next 3 months.

As we previously reported, Floyd was arrested on Dec. 12th when cops found him passed out behind the wheel of his SUV with his engine running at a stop light in Scottsdale.

The Arizona Cardinals cut him immediately following the arrest ... he was picked up by the Patriots a short time later and ended up winning the Super Bowl.

Oakland Raiders star lineman Donald Penn says the best thing for Aldon Smith is to be around his teammates -- so they can serve as a support system for the guy as he battles substance abuse.

Penn says he truly believes his teammate is a "good guy" and wants the best for him -- despite the bizarre situation involving Smith and the police in San Francisco this week.

As we previously reported, Smith -- who's serving a suspension for a previous violation of the league's substance abuse policy -- was detained for public intoxication after a car he was a passenger in crashed into a cop car.

It's obvious Penn cares about Smith ... and believes the structure and camaraderie a pro team can provide will be best for the former All-Pro.

NFL wide receiver Michael Floyd is hours away from getting out of the Arizona jail where he's been locked up for almost a month ... but he ain't exactly about to be a free man.

TMZ Sports has learned Floyd is scheduled to be released on 3/11 -- but he'll almost immediately begin the next phase of his punishment for his extreme DUI case ... house arrest.

We're told Floyd will spend roughly 3 months confined to his Arizona home -- where he's forbidden from consuming a single drop of alcohol.

If he wants to leave the house for any reason, he must ask for permission first -- and there's no guarantee the judge will grant his request ... even for work-related events.

RGIII says it's up to God whether he'll play NFL football again ... with sources close to the QB saying he believes everything happens for a reason ... including losing his job.

Griffin was cut from the Browns earlier Friday ... and there's been speculation he might not have very many NFL chances left due to injuries and inconsistent play.

We spoke to someone in the QB's inner circle who says although Robert 100% still wants to play ... he's telling people close to him it's all in the hands of the man upstairs.

"He believes in faith and fate. If it's God's plan for him to play again he will."

RGIII posted a picture to his Instagram moments ago to thank Cleveland for all the support with the hashtags #Theworkcontinues and #Imhungry.

It's a GREAT offseason for NY Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard -- who's on a crazy trip to Africa with his model GF, Chanel Iman ... and the pictures are fire.

The Sphinx ... Morocco ... Zambia ... Tanzania ... the couple is hittin' all the dope spots.

They even had a run-in with Will Smith!!

It's good to be rich.

This might be the most effective recruiting video yet.

A pair of Houston Texans superfans made a singing/dancing plea to Tony Romo to join their favorite team.

Dad's got a decent voice ... but the daughter's dance moves are insane!

NFL star DeAndre Hopkins says his mom was blinded and physically scarred for life in a brutal domestic violence incident ... and he's sharing his story with high school kids.

Hopkins was the guest speaker at Wisdom High School in Houston, TX, where he recalled the terrible day when he was 12 years old and his mother was the victim of an acid attack. The assault left her blind in both eyes and caused serious damage to one side of her face.

The Houston Texans WR says his mother has never seen him play a pro football game as a result of the attack.

DeAndre's point was to show the students what can happen when an abusive relationship spirals out of control. He advised the kids how to identify warning signs and how to help if someone they know is in danger.

Hopkins is an advocate for AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse) which has operated in Houston for almost 40 years.

With Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" playing in the background, Tony Romo just thanked Cowboys fans for all the love and support as he figures out his NFL future.

"I just wanted to come to tell you it's been a crazy 48 hours here," Romo said from what appears to be his home gym.

"Me and my family felt the outpouring of support and love from all of you ... it's been overwhelming and it doesn't go unnoticed."

At one point his wife Candice Romo walks by and says, "Babe, enough with the sad music."

As for Tony ... Denver? Houston? Maybe even the Jets?

More trouble for Aldon Smith ... who was detained by police in San Francisco around 8 AM Thursday after a car he was riding in smashed into a cop car and the officer says Smith was drunk at the time.

The troubled Oakland Raiders star was NOT driving the car at the time of the crash, however cops did arrest the driver for DUI.

The bigger issue for Smith ... the alcohol allegations.

The 27-year-old has struggled with substance abuse and is currently serving an NFL suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

According to reports, he's still in the league's substance abuse program -- we're making calls to figure out his status.

It's not often people turn down a chance to knock up a supermodel ... but NFL star Julian Edelman told Adriana Lima he's not ready for more kids and that was one of the main reasons they split.

Here's Alex Smith finally proving he has something Petyon Manning, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger don't ... muscles ... showing off his All-Pro physique on vacation.

While rumors swirl over Tony Romo taking his job, Alex is down in Hawaii canoeing, and from the look of these pictures, probably not eating much bread.

Dez Bryant unleashed the fury all over a Twitter troll Wednesday -- saying haters "have no clue" what he's been dealing with off the field over the past 2 years and should "shut the f**k up."

It all started when Cowboys reporter Jon Machota posted a list of WRs with the most receiving yards since 2012 which showed Dez ranked 8th ... below Calvin Johnson, T.Y. Hilton and Brandon Marshall.

Dez explained that he's finally getting his first healthy off-season training in 2 years and suggested he'll bounce back strong in 2017.

Not everyone's buying it -- including one guy who tweeted at Dez, "Injury prone. If your not on the field, talent means nothing! If you miss more than 5 games in 17' you'll be cut 2018!UNDERSTAND."

Dez didn't like that and fired back ...

"Bro shut the f**k up.. the game of football is more than training and playing.. you have no clue what I was dealing with these pass 2 years."

We know SOME of what he's dealt with off the field ... he's been sued for allegedly trashing a mansion and blasted by animal groups over a pet monkey ... but it seems like Dez is hinting at bigger issues.

Joe Mixon just dominated at Oklahoma's pro day -- posting VERY impressive numbers in various drills -- but the question remains ... will an NFL team actually pull the trigger in April?

Obviously, Mixon's past is a huge red flag -- he wasn't invited to the NFL combine because of the video showing him brutalizing a female student in 2014.

Instead, Mixon put his skills on a display at a special workout on the Oklahoma campus -- putting up numbers that would put him in the Top 10 against other RB prospects in almost every category.

Mixon reportedly posted a 4.43 second 40-yard dash time (which would've been the 4th fastest time among running backs at the combine) and completed 21 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press.

Some experts say Mixon will still be drafted as high as the 2nd round ... others say he could fall out of the draft entirely.