NFL

Tony Gonzalez says he was NOT forced out at CBS to make room for the new guy, Tony Romo -- telling TMZ Sports the decision to leave was HIS and his alone.

The future Hall of Fame tight end spent 3 seasons on "The NFL Today" (and was pretty good) only to announce he was leaving the show back in March.

A few days later, CBS announced Romo was joining the network as a live game broadcaster -- replacing Phil Simms who will take over for Gonzalez on "The NFL Today."

So ... was Tony G pushed out??

Gonzalez is adamant the answer is 'No' -- and gives a pretty solid explanation about his career choice.

TMZ Sports has obtained new footage from the night Cincinnati Bengals star Pacman Jones was arrested for assault -- and it shows even MORE of the tense relationship between Pac and the cops.

Busy day for Houston Texans running back Alfred Blue -- who found out his beloved Chevy Camaro somehow ended up in a Louisiana swamp Monday morning.

Here's the deal ... cops and a tow truck responded to Highway 90 in Des Allemands around 9 AM after a single car collision. One witness tells us, "The car was in the water."

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports the NFL player is the owner of the car -- but he was NOT driving during the incident and was not present during the crash.

So, what happened? Unclear exactly but cops say no arrests were made and miraculously no one was seriously injured.

We reached out to Blue's reps. Waiting for a call back.

Guests have arrived to Aaron Hernandez's funeral in Bristol, Connecticut -- including family members, friends and NFL stars.

Aaron's close friends, Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, arrived earlier in the day and spent time at the funeral home before the service.

Mike -- who plays for the Miami Dolphins -- was spotted using a cane due to a recent hip surgery.

Both Mike and Maurkice have known Hernandez since they were teammates at the University of Florida and spoke with him in prison regularly.

NFL wide receiver Riley Cooper -- who also played college ball with Hernandez -- was on the guest list though it's unclear if he has arrived.

Brandon Spikes was also on hand. Spikes played with Hernandez in college and with the New England Patriots.

Aaron's mother and brother are in attendance and flanked by security and police officers.

Could 5'3", 125 pound Demetrious Johnson beat up a massive NFL linebacker in a real-life bar fight???

That's what we asked the UFC flyweight champ ... and he had a pretty good idea how things would go down.

Here's the deal ... DJ is considered one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time -- but we really wanted to know if things got violent in the real world, does skill trump size and brute strength??

Tom Brady didn't get his White House visit sacked by his supermodel wife ... that's according to his ex-teammate, Donte Stallworth, who tells TMZ Sports Brady would never duck his guy, Donald Trump.

Huge moment for the Raiders ... Wayne Newton says the team has his blessing 100% to take over Sin City, and he's willing to kick it off by signing the squad's first national anthem.

We got Wayne looking extremely well preserved out in Beverly Hills, and asked him about the Raiders coming to to the city he's become synonymous with.

Wayne says he's "thrilled" for the city and the team, and when we asked if he'd be willing to kick off the new era with the national anthem, he said he hasn't been asked, but would love the chance.

The NFL is about to get destroyed by a beast named Christian McCaffrey ... so says former league stud Nate Burleson who is all in on the former college football's star's pro future.

McCarffrey struggled a little bit during his bench press at the Combine, making some believe the 5'11", 203-pounder might not have the strength to compete in the big leagues.

Burleson doesn't agree ... the guy's eyes light up at the very mention of MCaffrey, and he goes on to call Christian an "absolute monster."

Check the video below ... you a believer yet?

The lawyer for Odin Lloyd's family says the New England Patriots may be on the hook to pay Aaron Hernandez $6 MILLION from his NFL contract ... but he wants the team to give the money to the victim's family instead.

Douglas Sheff -- who represents Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward -- addressed the media about "abatement" ... the law in Massachusetts that essentially erases a conviction if the person dies before he's exhausted all of his appeals.

Sheff says he's spoken with experts who say if Hernandez's murder conviction is erased, the Patriots may be forced to pay out part of his contract ... which could total $6 million.

Sheff says the Lloyd family intends to fight like hell for that money.

He also makes a "friendly challenge" to the Patriots to work with the NFL Players Association in working out a deal to pay that money to the families of the victims in Hernandez's murder cases instead of giving it to Aaron's estate.

Ex-Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle has been found guilty of battery after allegedly running people over with his car last year ... but the court session was very bizarre.

Randle was in court in Wichita, Kansas to face multiple charges for the incident -- in which prosecutors say he got violent during a beer pong game at a house party in Feb. 2016.

Moments ago, the 25-year-old was found guilty of aggravated battery, criminal threats, aggravated burglary and possession of marijuana.

But when the judge asked Randle if he had any questions about the verdict, he replied, "I don't understand what just happened."

Randle then asked if he had been charged with anything today in a confusing exchange with the judge ... this according to KWCH's Akeam Ashford.

The lawyers in the case are now speaking with the judge.

Randle has exhibited bizarre behavior for years -- he was arrested 6 times in 17 months including an incident in which he stole underwear and cologne from a department store while he was still playing for the Cowboys.

Since then, he was arrested at a casino, busted at his ex-girlfriend's home, and allegedly ripped a TV off the wall in jail.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tells TMZ Sports it's "hard to say" if Colin Kaepernick is being blackballed by the NFL ... and says we'll just have to "wait and see" if he gets hired before the 2017 season.

Kareem has been outspoken about the Kaepernick situation in the past -- he even wrote an article about Kaep's protests in The Washington Post.

But he's not ready to declare the NFL anti-Kaep yet ... and when we saw him at the Joe Torre Safe at Home event in L.A., the NBA legend said we'd have to speak with someone "in management" to get a better idea.

Well, we did that ... we talked to Denver Broncos exec John Elway who shot down the idea that Kaepernick's protest has anything to do with his current state of unemployment.

But several players, including Terrell Suggs, aren't buying Elway's explanation ... telling TMZ Sports he IS getting punished for his protest. Suggs told Kaep to stay strong.

As for whether Kareem agrees with Jim Harbaugh -- who said Kaep should be celebrated for his protest -- Kareem has thoughts on that too.

Watch out, NFL ... it looks like Cleveland Browns star Gary Barnidge is ready to open a can of whoop ass this season ... and his first victim is a PRO WRESTLER!!

The Pro Bowl TE teamed up with his buddy, DeAngelo Williams, to take down Impact Wrestling star Davey Richards Thursday night ... and Barnidge destroys him with a devastating body slam.

The vid is great ... Barnidge and Williams really get into it and celebrate the victory by joining the fans in Moose's trademark chant.

Remember: Don't try this at home, kids ... leave it to the pros.

Jameis Winston didn't always dream of becoming a superstar in the NFL ... instead, the Tampa Bay Bucs QB says he wanted to work on FEET for a living.

The Pro Bowl signal caller revealed his childhood inspiration in a Twitter Q&A ... saying a family podiatrist left such a big impact on his life, he wanted to follow in her FOOTsteps.

Winston says the doc helped out with his grandma's type 2 diabetes and his dad's "terrible feet," and he developed a strong relationship with her over the years.

Colin Kaepernick's former 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh, is coming out STRONG in defense of his old QB -- saying Americans "must celebrate" him for his National Anthem protest.

Harbaugh -- who's now the head coach at Michigan -- authored the write-up for Kaep who was named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people.

In his piece, Harbaugh praises Colin as a great player and a courageous person -- and says the U.S. is "lucky" to have him as a citizen.

"Colin Kaepernick was alone in his early protests last year when he boldly and courageously confronted perceived inequalities in our social-justice system by refusing to stand for the national anthem," Harbaugh wrote.

"At times in our nation's history, we have been all too quick to judge and oppose our fellow Americans for exercising their First Amendment right to address things they believe unjust."

"Rather than besmirch their character, we must celebrate their act."

Von Miller has been reunited with his Super Bowl 50 helmet -- the helmet that was allegedly stolen by the same crooked Mexican media reporter who jacked Tom Brady.

FBI agent presented the helmet to the Denver Broncos superstar on Wednesday -- and it's clear Miller was excited to get it back.

As we previously reported, officials recovered the helmet from the home of Mauricio Ortega -- who allegedly snuck into Super Bowl locker rooms over the years and stole memorabilia including two game-worn Tom Brady jerseys.

Seems Donald Trump isn't happy with Tom Brady -- because he didn't mention the QB's name ONCE at the White House ceremony honoring the New England Patriots.

Of course, Brady did not attend the ceremony, citing "personal family matters" -- shocking considering the two were supposedly friends.

Donald Trump has sung Brady's praises publicly on numerous occasions, saying he is the greatest QB who ever lived -- so for him to go radio silent during the ceremony sends a strong message ... he's pissed.