NFL

The Tennessee Titans have launched an investigation into Leonard Fournette's allegations that a fan was shouting racial slurs at him during Thursday night's game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville ... sources tell TMZ Sports.

We broke the story ... the Jacksonville Jaguars running back threatened to beat up a fan in the 4th quarter of his team's 30-9 loss in an incident caught on video.

Fournette later told The Athletic the fan had been shouting racist insults like "c**n" and "servant" -- though none of those words can be heard on the video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Now, sources tell us ... the team has launched an investigation to find out if other people seated in the area heard any of the alleged slurs. They're also working to identify the heckler so they can speak with him.

We spoke with the person who shot the video -- who is NOT the heckler beefing with Fournette -- who told us he did not hear any racist language.

The fan said he DID hear the fan hurling insults, but they were based on the score of the game.

Rap superstar YG says he's not choosing sides between Colin Kaepernick and the NFL ... saying he supports BOTH, and is explaining his stance.

YG sat down with Raquel Harper on "Raq Rants" and talked about his relationship with Kaepernick, including personal conversations he's had with the embattled QB about his protest.

The Compton native says he's 100% supportive of Kap and has told him so, but isn't boycotting the NFL -- as a matter of fact, he's been one of the most visible and vocal fans of the L.A. Rams all season.

"We African-Americans, we grow up looking as basketball, football and rap as our way to get out."

YG is essentially saying what a lot of people have pointed out ... that while he agrees the league is doing Kap dirty ... he feels it's up to him to support the young black men that are still playing and making a living.

Doesn't matter if a heckler hurled the n-word, pro athletes like Leonard Fournette need to WALK AWAY from trash talkers ... 'cause if they actually fight, a pro could literally KILL a loudmouthed normie.

That's the advice coming from Charles Barkley -- who's dealt with plenty of hecklers during and after his NBA career.

Chuck knows trash talk is all fun and games until things turn physical -- and that's when things can get way too real.

"If you hit a fan and hurt them, you might KILL them," Barkley explained ... "But the main thing, you just gotta walk away or they're just gonna sue ya."

"Listen, they would never say that to you and fight you in the streets, but if you hit them you're gonna lose a lot of money," Barkley added on his way out of Matsuhisa in L.A.

It's not just Fournette who's been heckled lately, huge NBA stars have been targeted too -- including Kevin Durant, Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell.

Someone get Ted Cruz some Charmin ... 'cause the senator from Texas just took a big ol' dumparoo on the NFL over the way the league handled the national anthem demonstrations.

Ted had touched down in D.C. when we asked if Congress should look into overseeing the way the league handled investigations ... in the wake of the Kareem Hunt situation.

But, Cruz pivoted during the conversation and brought up the national anthem demonstrations -- and important to note, he's been strongly AGAINST players like Colin Kaepernick who took a knee.

"I think it has been amazing watching the NFL do unprecedented damage to their brand and the way they handled the anthem protest I think was spectacularly harmful to professional football," Cruz said.

So, we asked if Congress should have stepped in and gotten involved (outside of President Trump's public critiques) ... to which Cruz replied, "At the end of the day, I trust the fans to exercise the appropriate check."

Trump had called for the league to fire players who repeatedly took a knee. Instead, the league has imposed no penalty for kneelers.

The Dolphins had one of the most EPIC walk off winning touchdowns in NFL history ... and Miami guard Ted Larsen laid out the block that made the TD possible.

But, how could the play have been even better?

WITH A FAT GUY TOUCHDOWN!!!

At least, that's what Larsen's saying ... 'cause the Dolphins OL tells TMZ Sports that while Kenyan Drake's play was amazing -- he says it coulda been even better if he got the rock.

"Obviously we scored and we won -- I would have selfishly liked if they had pitched me the ball or something like that!"

Larsen, sadly, didn't get the ball in the epic play ... but he DID throw the key block that sprung Drake for the final yards of the game-winner.

As for if he DID happen to get the ball ... Larsen says nobody else was gonna touch it, 'cause, "I was going to try to take it right to the end zone myself!"

And, when it comes to the celebration -- Larsen says he woulda done the exact same thing that Drake did!!!!

Which, as it turns out, Kenyan is REALLY regretting today ...

Kenyan Drake is admitting he REALLY screwed up in the "Miami Miracle" on Sunday ... 'cause of the historic football he threw into the stands -- he says he needs that thing back!

After the Dolphins RB pulled off the most improbable TD of the season -- completing a 69-yard game-winning score with no time left against the Pats -- Drake threw the ball about 30 rows up into the stands.

Turns out ... the Miami superstar and his team would kinda like to have that thing back.

"Yesterday was one of the most amazing moments of my life and I was glad to share it with all you guys," Drake says.

"But, I have a PSA. I threw the ball in the stands, and I would love to have it back."

So, what's Drake offering up in return for the piece of history??

Kenyan says cleats, gloves, a jersey and even tickets!!

Alvin Kamara was singing -- and the girls were swooning ... 'cause after the Saints beat the Bucs on Sunday, A.K. hit up a restaurant party and SLAAAYYYYED some R. Kelly!!

It all went down at Morrow's in New Orleans -- where Kamara popped by after taking down Tampa Bay to get on the mic for some karaoke.

The star RB's song of choice? R. Kelly's "12 Play" -- and while we only got a snippet of his vocals in the vid ... dude had the crowd (full of girls) swaying!!

It's interesting -- Alvin and the Saints played IN Florida on Sunday morning ... so, pretty impressive the dude made it out to crash the bar's shindig when he got back to Louisiana.

Then again ... the Saints DID lock up the NFC South with the win AND took over first place in the NFC with the Rams' loss.

9:42 AM PT -- Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone says he's spoken with Fournette, who claims the heckler had been shouting "racial slurs" at him and that's why he reacted the way he did.

When asked if there were any witnesses to back up Fournette's claim, Marrone said, "I trust the player."

9:39 AM PT -- Matt Stafford's wife, Kelly, has just weighed in ... PRAISING Fournette for "the way he stood up for himself."

Kelly noted, "'Fans' probably said way worse things to him ... but yet he will lose money because he responded."

The message -- Kelly is sick of players like Fournette getting heckled by people in the stands.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette was so rattled during the loss to the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, he got into it with a fan ... and threatened to beat the guy's ass.

TMZ Sports has footage of Fournette on the sidelines in the 4th quarter of the Jags' 30-9 loss at Nissan Stadium in Nashville ... where the RB angrily tells the fan, "Listen, you're too old for that. I will beat your ass!"

Two men who appear to be Jaguars staffers grab Leonard and try to walk him away -- but minutes later, Fournette begins to jaw at the fan again ... repeating his threat.

"Facts, you're too old for that," Fournette says while sitting on the team bench ... "You're too old for that. Chill out. I'm not worried about you. You want to come down here?? I'll whoop your ass."

The Jags lost the game and Fournette was only held to 36 rushing yards on 14 carries.

Fournette has been irritable lately -- just a few weeks ago, he was ejected from the Buffalo Bills game for fighting Shaq Lawson ... and then tried to continue the scrap in the stadium tunnel.

Fournette was hit with a 1-game suspension for the Buffalo incident -- and later apologized to "the fans and kids out there."

"Was totally out of character was in the heat of the moment in a important game," Fournette posted on social media ... "emotions got the best of me apologize again to you all."

Fournette has never been afraid of a fight -- back in college, he got into it with LSU offensive lineman Garrett Brumfield outside of Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

LSU officials insisted the guys were just messin' around.

But, one thing's for sure ... if Fournette threatens to beat your ass, he's willing to back it up.

George Kittle dabbed like a madman and danced his face off in the locker room Sunday ... and it's all 'cause the 49ers tight end went for 210 yards on the Broncos!!!

Kittle's been eating defenses alive this season ... already posting 1,103 yards on the year -- but he REALLY cooked Denver's D at Mile High.

Dude caught 7 balls for 210 yards and one touchdown in a win ... and teammate Marquise Goodwin got his postgame celebration on vid afterward -- and we're all grateful for it.

Kittle showed us his shoulder rolls ... then dabbed like an insane person -- and there was even a cameo from John Lynch!!

Yeah, pretty epic.

The bad news for George ... the Niners are just 3-10 even after the W and are still probably the worst team in the NFL.

The good news for Kittle ... have you seen his girlfriend?!

Wiener-eating champ Joey Chestnut chugged beer and slammed some dude through a table Sunday ... officially becoming a new member of #BillsMafia -- and the video is epic.

It all went down in the New Era Field parking lot before the Bills took on the Jets -- when Chestnut showed up to the most infamous tailgate in the NFL.

J.C. -- who crushed 74 dogs at the 2018 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest -- was clearly wasted ... but that didn't stop him from pounding a Bud Light and throwing a grown man through a plastic table.

Unclear why Joey was there ... the guy is from Northern California and doesn't seem to have any ties to the Bills -- but looks like he fits right in with Buffalo's rowdy crowd anyway.

Kansas City Chiefs owner, Clark Hunt, says the team knew Kareem Hunt was involved in 3 violent incidents BEFORE they cut him ... but says the TMZ Sports video took things to another level.

Clark Hunt finally broke his silence about Kareem to the media after the Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday ... saying, "We were obviously shocked by the video, like anybody who saw it."

He added, "We’d had some issues with Kareem not being truthful with what happened that night and we just really felt for everybody’s best interests we needed to head in a different direction."

As we previously reported, Kareem has been accused of getting violent on 3 separate occasions during the NFL offseason -- allegedly attacking a man at a nightclub in January, the hotel incident in February and another altercation at an Ohio resort in June.

"We did know about [those incidents], yes," Clark Hunt said ... "We were familiar with all 3 of the incidents that he had had in the offseason ... They’d all been reported to the NFL, and the NFL was investigating them."

During the media scrum in the Chiefs' locker room, Clark Hunt was also asked about the NFL's investigation into Kareem Hunt ... and how the league could do a better job handling similar investigations in the future.

"I’m not sure I’m at a point right now where I can say there was a breakdown and specifically what that breakdown was. The league has spent a lot of time and resources trying to build a department that can handle these types of situations."

"Obviously, it’s imperfect. I’m not sure you can ever reach perfection. There are limitations on the type of information that league security people are able to get, and I’m not sure that we can change that."

Clark Hunt was also asked if Chiefs' draft scouts ever saw any red flags when it came to Hunt's off-the-field actions before they took him in the 3rd round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

"Our staff felt comfortable with taking him, otherwise we would not have selected him," Hunt said.

"Our scouting staff does a really good job of vetting players. And part of that analysis is their character. Obviously, it’s very hard to learn everything about somebody. Sometimes you have somebody who in college didn’t have any incidents and they get to the pro level and with the fame and fortune and so forth that comes with the position, they do something that you don’t expect."

"So, we’re certainly going to try to get better, but I don’t think you can ever be perfect in that regard."

Despite leaving on bad terms, Clark Hunt says the organization is still rooting for Kareem to better himself.

"I think the most important thing for Kareem is that he get some counseling that can help him with his issues ... and I heard today that there was a report that he was going to do that, and certainly we wish the best for Kareem in the future. I hope that at some point he’s able to come back to the National Football League, not sure when that will be."

Nike has put their money behind Colin Kaepernick -- and now the man who founded the company tells TMZ Sports, he believes the QB should still be playing in the NFL.

We saw shoe legend, Phil Knight leaving Michael's restaurant in New York the other day and while he threw his support behind Colin -- he stopped short when we asked if he believed CK is being blackballed by the NFL.

"I don't know," Knight told us ... "I don't know."

80-year-old Knight still serves as Chairman Emeritus for the Swoosh -- the company that recently inked Kaepernick as the face of its "Just Do It" 30th Anniversary Campaign.

After the first Kaepernick ad dropped back in September, the brand reportedly saw a 31% boost in online sales ... so, ya gotta think Phil would be pumped about bringing Kaep back into the fold.

One more thing ... what kind of shoes does the $30 BILLION Nike founder rock out in public?

Phil says they're special "PK 80s" -- a special line of shoes created to honor Phil's 80th birthday. We're having a tough time finding the exact model and value of the shoes ... but we're working on it.

Kareem Hunt is reportedly tackling his issues by heading to counseling for alcohol and anger management in the wake of his surveillance video scandal.

Citing sources familiar with the situation, NFL.com reported Sunday that the former Chiefs running back entered counseling this week. The details of how long he's expected to be in counseling or where he's getting it done weren't immediately clear.

Clearly, Kareem is putting himself on the right track after he was caught on video attacking a 19-year-old woman earlier this year at a Cleveland hotel. The NFL is also investigating 2 other incidents in which he's believed to have gotten violent.

During one of those scuffles in January, Kareem was seen being restrained on video moments after he allegedly beat up a 37-year-old man in a Kansas City nightclub. Another incident in June -- which was not caught on video -- involves Kareem allegedly punching a guy in the face.

Sorry, Packers fans ... Brett Favre says he's almost certainly not coming back to coach Green Bay -- but he does know who should ... DOUG PEDERSON!!!

Favre is actually a candidate to replace the fired Mike McCarthy, according to some gambling sites ... and while No. 4 says he's flattered, he can't see that happening right now.

So -- we had to ask -- who WOULD be a good fit for the spot??

Brett threw a couple names at us -- including an ex-Seahawks offensive coordinator and the current Bills OC -- before he revealed the most intriguing name.

"Doug Pederson," Favre says.

Of course, Pederson's got a pretty good job already -- coaching Carson Wentz and the Eagles in Philadelphia with one Super Bowl ring already on his finger.

But, crazier things have happened ... and there is an obvious connection to Green Bay -- Pederson played there for two separate stints when was a QB in the league.

No matter who eventually takes the job ... Favre tells us they better get ready to give the reins to Aaron Rodgers.

"You make sure that Aaron runs the show," Brett says.

Reuben Foster and his ex-girlfriend had the cops called on them for a loud argument about a month before he was arrested for allegedly attacking her ... and police have released the footage.

The domestic dispute between Foster and Elissa Ennis occurred October 12 in Santa Clara, CA at an apartment complex. The NFL linebacker answered the door when cops showed up and told them the 2 were arguing ... and eventually Ennis came out to talk to them, too.

At one point, Foster's placed in handcuffs while they attempt to talk to Ennis.

She eventually told an officer, "Everything is not okay," and that she found things that upset her on Foster's phone. She also said she was on depression medication but didn't take her pills that day. She didn't answer whether the 2 were hitting each other.

Ultimately, neither Foster or Ennis were cited or arrested for the incident.

As you know, though ... Foster was arrested for domestic violence in Tampa last month after allegedly pushing Ennis in the chest and slapping her. He was cut by the 49ers the next day, but claimed by the Redskins just days later.

Ennis appeared on "Good Morning America" Thursday to tell her story, and claimed the Niners tried to discredit her.

Will he stay or will he go???

Dwyane Haskins says he ain't sure ... but did he just drop a massive clue??

Maybe ... 'cause the Ohio State QB -- who's out in NYC prepping for Saturday's Heisman Trophy ceremony -- told Adam Glyn ... "I'm pretty close to graduating."

Of course, most QBs facing the decision to stay in school or jump to the NFL put at least SOME weight on their degree when making the choice.

So, would Haskins finishing up his credits this year mean he's putting his name in the 2019 NFL Draft?

"I don't know yet," he says. "I gotta work it out with my parents and talk about it. I'm just enjoying the moment right now."

It wouldn't be the worst move for the redshirt sophomore ... 'cause most NFL mock draft experts have him pegged for the top half of the first round if he were to come out.