NFL

The Rob Gronkowski party trains rolls on ... there were hot chicks (a lot of them), bottles of champagne, a Lombardi Trophy shaped cake ... and TMZ Sports has the EPIC party video.

The Patriots superstar hit up Surrender Nightclub at the Encore hotel in Vegas last night ... and did what Gronk does -- got super turnt up and smashed stuff!!!

Sources at the club tell us Gronk arrived around 1AM ... pounded champagne straight from the bottle, danced on stage, and showered the crowded with bubbly.

Best part ... Gronk SPIKING the football cake ... on his brothers head!

Check out the video.

Dez Bryant is getting some major support from one of his former Dallas Cowboys coaches ... who tells TMZ Sports the rumors of an alleged Ray Rice-style tape are complete B.S.

We spoke with Rob Ryan -- the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys in 2011 and 2012 -- who's adamant there's NO tape. Period.

"That's a bunch of bull," Ryan told us ... "Dez is an awesome guy. He's a great competitor and probably the best receiver in football."

Ryan is currently working for the New Orleans Saints -- but he's still very plugged in with the Cowboys.

As for Dez, his family believes someone is trying to sabotage his NFL future by going pubic with rumors of an alleged tape.

Ray Rice says he felt so terrible after the public backlash following last year's elevator attack ... that "I almost felt like at one point that it wasn't worth living."

Rice sat down with the Baltimore Sun ... and says he was emotionally devastated after the video went public.

"The big picture of it all, being the person that I am, I really felt horrible. You almost want to punish yourself. I know I'm never going to win the battle of public opinion. Honestly, I almost felt like at one point that it wasn't worth living. I see why people commit suicide."

Rice continued, "It hurt that bad. I was low, real low. It hurt that bad because you worked your whole life to do all the right things and then you're the world's most hated person. It was really tough. My daughter, oh Lord, I grew up without a father, there's no way I could check out on my own family."

With just a couple of weeks until the NFL's veteran's combine, Michael Sam spent his Friday focusing on his footwork ... for "Dancing with the Stars!"

Sam left the DWTS rehearsal studios clutching a pair of ballroom dancing shoes ... and got into a waiting car with his boyfriend Vito.

"Dancing" premieres on March 16. The NFL veteran's combine is March 22.

Question is ... can Sam have his cake and eat it too?

Buffalo Bills QB EJ Manuel is no dummy ... telling TMZ Sports he's a BIG FAN of his new boss Rex Ryan -- the man who will ultimately decide if he starts ... or gets replaced.

Of course, there have been rumblings that Ryan could make a move with the QB spot this off-season ... possibly reuniting with his old NY Jets QB Mark Sanchez to start ahead of Manuel.

But at LAX Thursday, EJ didn't seem concerned at all -- in fact, Manuel says he and Rex are getting along great ... saying, "That's my man!"

He also signed off on Rex's new Bills-themed truck and Ryan's Buffalo-inspired tattoo.

It sucks to be released ... no doubt ... but Reggie Bush tells TMZ Sports he's not giving up on the NFL just because he got cut by the Detroit Lions.

Just 24 hours after the Lions announced the move, Bush was out at Madeo in Beverly Hills ... in a pretty good mood for a guy who just lost his job.

But when we asked if it was time to throw in the towel on his football career, Bush was clear that ain't gonna happen.

It's not the craziest question ... considering Bush is about to turn 30 ... the same age as former Lions running back Barry Sanders when he decided to hang 'em up.

Donald Trump already has supporters for his 2016 White House run ... including Terrell Owens -- who tells us ... if Trump's hiring a staff, HE WANTS A JOB!

The "Celeb Apprentice" star appeared on "TMZ Hollywood Sports" on Reelz .. and told the gang he thinks his former boss definitely has presidential qualities ... but wants to hear more about his plans for the country.

"I think he's a great negotiator, this guy is very business savvy," T.O. said .. adding, "There's gonna be a lot of hot topics that he's gonna be prepared for and really can he deliver on his promises?"

Michael Sam's decision to join "Dancing with the Stars" does NOT mean he's throwing in the towel on his NFL career ... so says his friend Jason Collins who says he can't wait to watch the guy kill it in the ballroom.

Sam's been taking heat from critics who say the decision to join "DWTS" shows he's more concerned about being a celebrity than playing in the NFL.

But Collins -- who famously came out as the NBA's first openly gay player in 2013 -- says the haters are wrong ... and he's got proof to back up his argument.

Dez Bryant's mom says she's buried the hatchet with her son over the 2012 domestic violence incident and loves him very much -- but says she's convinced someone is trying to use Dez's past to sabotage his NFL future.

TMZ Sports spoke with a rep for Angela Bryant ... who tells us, "Ever since the 2012 incident, they have worked out their issues and they've got a lot of love for each other."

As we previously reported, Dez was arrested for allegedly assaulting his mom during an argument in her Texas home ... though the charge was eventually dismissed.

"Angela and her son have a great relationship and whoever is behind this is using [Dez's past in an] attempt to assassinate Dez's character."

The rep says Dez and his mother have been speaking regularly about the current situation -- and, "They believe it is no coincidence that this is happening around the time that [Dez's] contract is up for renewal."

Angela's rep says she believes ... "It comes down to someone trying to interfere with Dez getting his contract extended from the Cowboys."

Rick Ross says he still wants to be Tha Boss of the Miami Dolphins ... telling TMZ Sports he "can't wait" for team officials to invite him to become a minority owner.

As we previously reported, Ross met with the Dolphins last year -- and said he was willing and able to buy a piece of the team ... just like Serena Williams, Gloria Estefan and others.

But the hold up is the Dolphins ... who ultimately decide which rich people they'll "invite" into the ownership group and when to invite them.

So, when we saw Ross out in NYC Wednesday night, we had to ask if he was still into the idea ... or if all of the waiting had turned him off.

Check out the clip ... it's clear Ross is willing to be patient to get what he wants.

Dez Bryant's mom sat in front of a camera and told cops the NFL star roughed her up, threatened her and ripped her shirt during a 2012 incident in Texas ... and TMZ Sports has the interview video.

Dez was arrested for assault following the incident ... but the charge was eventually dropped when Dez cut a deal with prosecutors -- which required the NFL star to stay out of trouble for the following year (he did).

But in the video, Bryant's mother Angela describes a heated exchange between herself and Dez -- which started when Dez "was trying to fight my brother."

Angela says she tried to stop Dez -- and warned him that he was going to get in trouble with the Dallas Cowboys -- but she claims he only got angrier and turned the rage on her.

After allegedly grabbing her, smacking her with his baseball cap and tearing her shirt ... Angela says Dez "started talking about how he's going to knock me out."

Angela says she wanted to contact Jerry Jones to discuss the incident -- so he could help Bryant moving forward.

The cop at the scene said he didn't see any blood or bruising on Angela -- but pics were taken for police records.

We reached out to Dez and Angela for comment -- no word back from either side.

Aaron Hernandez was in one helluva good mood in the hours before Odin Lloyd was murdered ... dancing on his way into a local gas station ... and it was all captured on video.

The video was shot around 2AM on June 17, 2013 ... about 90 minutes before officials say Lloyd was murdered.

Prosecutors believe the video plays a key role in the timeline ... connecting Hernandez with the car that Lloyd got into a short time later ... the same car that was seen driving into the secluded area where Lloyd's body was found later that day.

Dez Bryant was questioned by Texas police in 2011 regarding an alleged incident in a Wal-Mart parking lot where a woman was allegedly pulled out of a vehicle by a black male ... but cops determined Dez did not commit a crime ... this according to the police report.

The police report just surfaced ... in the wake of rumors of an alleged video featuring Dez doing something terrible. So far, there is still no video, but Thursday morning a never-before-seen police report finally became public.

The report, from July 11, 2011, shows someone went to Wal-Mart security and said they witnessed a black man drag a woman out of a car around 6 AM. The victim is listed as Ilyne Nash -- Dez Bryant's long-time girlfriend and mother of two of his children.

In the report, first published by NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, cops say a car registered to Bryant was at the scene in the parking lot ... and Dez later arrived to the scene in another car WITH the alleged victim.

In the report, cops say they interviewed several people at the scene, including Bryant, but determined no crime had been committed.

According to the report, Nash did say she got into an argument with another man ... a guy named Alex Penson ... but was adamant she was not assaulted or injured in any way.

The report does not make note of any visible injuries to Nash.

Nash says after the argument, she went to a friend's house ... and contacted Dez to pick her up ... and that's why they were ultimately together when they returned to the Wal-Mart.

In the report cops say, "After speaking with all parties involved, it was determined that there was no offense. All parties were advised they were free to go."

The police report makes NO mention of the video.

Marshawn Lynch thinks the biopic about his life growing up in Oakland is TERRIBLE and is demanding wholesale changes to the project before it can be released ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A four-minute-plus "promo" for "Family First the Marshawn Lynch Story" -- which stars Lynch as himself -- was released Tuesday and we're told Marshawn went Beast Mode when he saw it ... in a bad way.

"It was the quality, It doesn't look like some sh*t nobody would want their name attached to" ... one source close to Marshawn tells us.

We're told Marshawn thought the film (which was his idea) was going to look like a big budget Hollywood affair ... but, in his cinematic opinion, ultimately felt the sound, editing, and lighting were "not good at all."

The news came as a shock to the film's director Mario Bobino -- who says he was blindsided by Marshawn's less-than-encouraging take on the project.

"I've known Marshawn his whole life. All of the sudden he's mad at me and now doesn't want the film to see the light of day. I'm upset by this because he fully committed to see the project through and now he wants out," Bobino tells us.

Mario says he met with some of Lynch's reps Wednesday and temporarily agreed to remove the clip from the Internet while he makes some changes ... but insists the movie is coming out "no matter what."

He also claims the mega rich NFL superstar's actions are hurting the other actors who appear in the movie ... including family members.

Dez Bryant says he's been betrayed ... but he's not saying by whom ... or how.

In the wake of rumblings that a tape exists showing Bryant doing something terrible ... a tape everyone's talking about but no one says they've seen ... Bryant went to Twitter to express his frustration.

"I need to get me a real raw uncut tv show or something ... I can't continue to get betrayed like this."

It's the second time Bryant has addressed the rumors.

Last week, he posted another cryptic statement that reads ... "Just quit with the b.s. … It’s clear as day what's going on… I might need to do a exclusive interview about my life these past 5 years since the world is destined to know."

"I use to let people take advantage of my life now that I’m no longer allowing that to happen it seems to be a problem… I’m not ashamed of none of my past incidents because that’s what made me who I am today."

When the judge announced that Eddie Ray Routh was found guilty of murdering "American Sniper" Chris Kyle Tuesday night ... his wife was comforted in court by a famous friend, ex-NFL star Jay Novacek.

Novacek -- who was a 5-time Pro Bowl tight end for the Dallas Cowboys in the '90s -- has become close with Kyle's family ... and attended the reading of the verdict in the Erath County, TX courtroom.

Jay's wife first met Chris' widow, Taya Kyle, at a gun convention not long after Chris was killed -- and the two have been dear friends ever since. The two families also attend the same church.

Jay's wife has also praised Taya for being there for her after she was injured in a car accident last year.