NFL

Aaron Hernandez claims he should NOT have been convicted of 1st degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd -- claiming the killing was not "cruel" enough to warrant such a harsh charge.

Hernandez's lawyers filed new court docs challenging the verdict in the Lloyd case ... in which they spell out why Aaron should have, at most, been convicted of 2ND degree murder instead.

Here's why ...

Team Hernandez says 1st degree murder requires either premeditation or extreme cruelty. Aaron's lawyers say the ex-NFL star was NOT convicted on premeditation so they're attacking the "cruelty" angle.

In the docs, AH's lawyers state ... since Lloyd was shot 6 times and died "rapidly," there's no evidence of suffering. Furthermore, they say no witnesses heard Lloyd yell or scream.

There's more ... AH's lawyers say to prove cruelty, you must also show the killer "took pleasure" or was indifferent about killing. Team Hernandez says there was no evidence to show Hernandez "took pleasure in any suffering experienced by Lloyd."

Long story short ... AH's team believes Lloyd's murder was a run of the mill gun death -- nothing more or less cruel than any other.

Did you know ... "Blackish" star Anthony Anderson is friends with NFL legend Marcus Allen?

It's true ... and yesterday at LAX, the guys had a pretty hilarious explanation for the whole Deflategate situation -- it all comes down to pee!

The whole video is pretty hilarious ... with Anderson crackin' jokes just to get Marcus to laugh.

The judge in the Aaron Hernandez murder case ... the first one ... has officially thrown out the perjury charge against Aaron's fiancee Shayanna Jenkins after she provided testimony that led to the conviction of the ex-NFL star.

Jenkins had struck a deal with prosecutors before she got on the stand -- she would talk and in exchange they would toss out a previous perjury charge.

The perjury charge stemmed from comments Jenkins made to the grand jury in 2013 regarding a gun in her home ... that may have been the weapon used to murder Odin Lloyd. If convicted, she faced up to 20 years behind bars.

Prosecutors say Jenkins' testimony at the trial -- that she helped Aaron dispose of a mystery box after Odin's death -- helped them win the case.

The operating theory is that the box contained the murder weapon.

Another milestone for Brian Banks -- the football star who made it to the NFL after proving he was wrongly convicted of rape ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned he's getting married ... TOMORROW!!!

Brian's story is incredible ... he was a high school football superstar who spent 5 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Then, after he proved his accuser made the whole thing up, he battled his way in to the Atlanta Falcons training camp in 2013 and actually played in some pre-season games!

Now, we've learned... the 29-year-old is all set to tie the knot with his fiancee Emmy -- and it's all going down in Vegas. The two have been together for 3 years.

We're told the ceremony will be pretty small -- just close friends and family -- but there will be a few famous faces in the crowd ... including NFL insider Jay Glazer and former UFC fighter Frank Trigg.

And get this ... Banks became close with an officer in the Navy during some of the USO/NFL tours he did recently ... and we're told the officer has a cool gift in store for Brian.

He's going to fly the USA flag over Camp Lemonnier during the moment of Brian's "I Do's" ... and told Brian it's because, "Lives with meaning like yours are worth fighting for. You deserve the best."

Congrats!!!

'Coach' and 'The Chin' weren't enough ... so now Bill Cowher can also go by 'Grandpa' -- his daughter Lindsay and her husband, Lakers forward Ryan Kelly, just had their first baby.

The baby ... Nile Jeremiah Kelly was born last night, and he's a big boy ... 8.8 lbs. and 22 in. long.

It's not known if Coach Cowher was actually at the hospital when Lindsay popped, but the ex-Steelers coach took a hands on approach with Lindsay's dating life ... at least according to his son-in-law, Ryan.

So, now that they have a baby boy ... the question: Dad is in the NBA, grandpa's an NFL coaching legend -- do you play football or basketball?

The New England Patriots just released a SCATHING new statement blasting the Wells Report ... once again insisting that Tom Brady did nothing wrong.

In the docs, the team makes its argument using strong scientific evidence ... and one fun fact about male urination ... a Pee Fact, if you will.

Here's the long and short of it ...

One of the key parts of the Wells Report is pointing out that Patriots locker room staffer Jim McNally went to a bathroom with game balls before the AFC Championship game. The insinuation is that McNally deflated the balls while inside the crapper.

Here's the Patriots retort:

"The report does not address whether one minute and 40 (seconds) is consistent with the time that it takes a gentleman to enter a bathroom, relieve himself, wash his hands, and leave. In fact, it is."

So, there you have it ... according to the Pats ... it takes a dude 100 seconds to drain the lizard, wash up and leave the bathroom.

And that's exactly what the Patriots believe happened.

Sometimes breakups are for the best ... but not Draya Michele and Orlando Scandrick -- because according to Draya's "Basketball Wives" co-star ... they really did love each other.

We spoke with Brandi Maxiell about the conscious uncoupling -- and she broke it down this way .... "It's sad and unfortunate because I've been around them and they love each other so much."

As we previously reported, Draya had been dating the Dallas Cowboys star for about 2 years before they called it quits ... shocking considering they were just talking about marriage a few months ago.

He may not be a Cowboy (yet) ... but they sure as hell loved Adrian Peterson in Texas this weekend ... when the guy walked into a bar ... and bought EVERYONE a shot of vodka!

It all went down at the Flying Pug Bar in Houston on Sunday night ... where sources tell TMZ Sports the running back was the life of the party from the moment he walked in the door.

We're told AP enjoyed some whiskey ... but wanted to make sure everyone else got their drank on too -- so he ponied up for a round Grey Goose on him.

The fun didn't stop there ... 'cause Peterson's group moved the party down the street to another bar called Exit 73 ... and continued to rage!

The best part of the story ... Peterson played it SAFE at the end of the night and let a sober pal drive him home.

Even bald guys gotta let their hair down every now and then.

Odell Beckham Jr. just made the biggest catch of the NFL off-season ... snatching the "Madden 16" cover right out of the hands of fellow finalist Rob Gronkowski.

Beckham Jr. and Gronk beat out a bunch of other NFL studs ... like the Cardinals' Patrick Peterson and Steelers wideout Antonio Brown ... to become the last two dudes standing on Madden island.

Fan votes determined the final winner, and Odell took it home with a super narrow 52.5% of the votes -- but arguably Gronk is the real winner here.

There's a little thing known as the Madden curse ... and the Giants star is now susceptible to the same fate suffered by Garrison Hearst, Peyton Hillis, Shaun Alexander, Vince Young, and bunch more.

Even last year's cover guy -- Richard Sherman ... jacked up his elbow and lost the Super Bowl.

Ummm ... congrats, Odell?

We asked Giants co-owner Steve Tisch last week about OBJ possibly getting the honor (?) -- he was less than thrilled.

If you're in the market for a Jimmy Garoppolo card, you shoulda bought it last week -- 'cause the Tom Brady backup's trading card is SKYROCKETING!

Ever since Brady was suspended ... Garoppolo's been a hot commodity, and not just for Bill Belichick. TMZ Sports found out his signed rookie card is worth more than 100 times what it was before Tom got nailed.

A rep for COMC -- a top online auction site -- tells us ... "His card was originally selling for $2.25, but as soon as Tom Brady's suspension was announced, Garoppolo's card skyrocketed to $278."

Put down your smartphone ... we already did the math, and that's a 12,256% increase. By comparison, the rep says a signed Brady card will set you back about $290.

Trading cards are nice and all, but Tom still has the 4 Super Bowl rings ... and Gisele.

Dallas Cowboys stud Orlando Scandrick is back on the market ... 'cause his relationship with "Basketball Wives" star Draya Michele is officially OVER!!!!

Draya broke the news on social media ... saying, "After more than two years together Orlando and I have mutually decided to end our relationship."

"Unfortunately, we both live very hectic lives making it difficult to spend the deserved time together. He is a great father and athlete and I will cherish the memories that we created."

Pretty shocking ... considering the two were talking about marriage just a few short months ago.

Story developing ...

Yeah, he's got issues ... but the Pac-12 Network says it's not ready to sever its relationship with Braylon Edwards in the wake of his most recent DUI arrest.

The ex-NFL star had been covering track & field for the network this past season and was reportedly in AZ to cover the "Duel In The Desert" between ASU and U of A when he was busted last week.

TMZ Sports spoke with officials at the Pac-12 Network who admit Braylon's arrest is "greatly disappointing" -- but he's not blackballed from working with the network in the future.

No more sugarcoating it ... Tom Brady is a cheater ... period ... so says Seattle Seahawks badass Michael Bennett.

Bennett -- one of the best defensive ends in the NFL -- played against Brady in the game AFTER the Deflategate ... and though he admits Seattle got beat fair and square in the Super Bowl, MB says there's no question Tom broke the rules in the AFC Championship.

But after that, this clip gets HILARIOUS -- here are the CliffsNotes:

-- Advice for QB Russell Wilson now that he's dating Ciara?
("Watch out for Future")

-- Favorite Leonardo DiCaprio movie of all time?
("'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' ... the one where he played like he's retarded")

-- Which celeb he thinks he looks like?
("Denzel or Will Smith")

The New England Patriots are confident in their backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo ... but they think Tom Brady's suspension is "absolute bulls**t" ... so says one respected Pats player.

The player -- who wished to remain anonymous so he could be "completely honest" -- tells us bluntly, "Ted Wells is full of sh*t. Brady wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize our franchise."

He continued, "I am upset. The whole team is upset. Brady has held himself together ... but we know he's upset. This is some bulls**t."

"Every time we win, we're accused of doing something wrong. It's like the NFL wants to discredit us for winning. If we lost, this wouldn't be a discussion. Goodell has again failed in his decision making."

Charles Barkley says Tom Brady's 4 game suspension will DEFINITELY lower his fantasy football value ... but he doesn't care because "only losers play fantasy sports" anyway.

Sir Chuck was "living the dream" in NYC Tuesday when he sounded off on the whole Deflategate scandal -- saying he still loves Tom ... and explains why he'll still be considered one of the greatest QBs ever.

Former NFL wide receiver Braylon Edwards was arrested for DUI in Scottsdale, Arizona last week ... and cops say he was EXTREMELY wasted ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 32-year-old -- who played for the Browns, Jets and 49ers during his NFL career -- was pulled over in the early hours of May 4th ... according to police records.

Cops say Braylon's blood alcohol level was more than .20 -- more than twice the legal limit and considered an "extreme DUI" in Scottsdale.

It's the 2nd time Edwards has been arrested for driving under the influence in the past 5 years -- he was popped for drunk driving in 2010.

Braylon was also named in a battery report in 2013 for attacking a photographer in Detroit ... an incident that was captured on video.

Attempts to reach Braylon for comment have been unsuccessful.

Edwards was the 3rd overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. He last played in the league back in 2012.