NFL

Ex-NFL star Larry Johnson just WENT OFF on Colin Kaepernick -- saying a true civil rights leader like MLK would have fought the NFL to the bitter end instead of taking settlement money from the "oppressor."

The former All Pro running back is fuming -- saying Kaepernick's whole movement against the NFL was a "waste of time" because the settlement deal he signed "corrupted and diluted his message."

Remember, Kap sued the NFL for collusion in 2017 -- claiming owners and execs conspired to keep him out of the league for his kneeling demonstration, which shined a light on police brutality on minorities.

Johnson was down with Kap's cause -- but feels the QB betrayed all of the people who looked up to him by agreeing to end his fight for an undisclosed settlement with the NFL.

"If your backdrop is going to be the African American civil rights presence that it brought from the '60s and you're going to use that for your own causes, you don't sell out. "

He added, "You don't turn your message into a Nike hoodie."

Johnson says Kaepernick KNEW he had the NFL on the ropes but he "gave them a way out."

Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid say their legal war with the NFL is over -- after striking a confidential settlement with the league.

Kaepernick and Reid had filed a lawsuit against the NFL claiming owners and league officials colluded to keep them off NFL rosters because they chose to take a knee during the national anthem at NFL games.

The league had adamantly denied blackballing Kaepernick ... even after President Donald Trump publicly urged owners to fire any "son of a bitch" who didn't stand for the anthem.

Kap's attorneys, Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas, issued a statement saying, "For the past several months, counsel for Mr. Kaepernick and Mr. Reid have engaged in an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the NFL."

"As a result of those discussions, the parties have decided to resolve the pending grievances. The resolution of this matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement so there will be no further comment by any party."

Reid was picked up by the Carolina Panthers during the 2018 season and on Monday, the safety signed a $22 million 3-year extension. Kaepernick is still a free agent.

We shot Kaepernick arriving in L.A. over the weekend -- but he remained silent when it came to his case against the NFL.

Kaepernick initially filed his lawsuit in October 2017 -- and, as part of the case, a bunch of NFL honchos were deposed ... including Jerry Jones, Bob McNair, John Elway, Robert Kraft, Pete Carroll and more.

Kaepernick first began taking a knee during the 2016 NFL season, while he was still a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

The QB opted out of his contract with the 49ers in March 2017 -- and has not been picked up by another NFL team since then.

When asked about Kaepernick during the State of the NFL speech during Super Bowl week, NFL Commish Roger Goodell insisted that Kap's unemployment was a direct result of his football ability ... and not outside politics.

Kap supporters have strongly disagreed -- pointing out a slew of QBs with inferior experience and stats who got try-outs and contracts with NFL teams over the past 2 years.

Story developing ...

What dad bod?!?

Tom Brady and Gisele spent Valentine's Day in Costa Rica -- and shocker, they look AMAZING.

Gisele looked like typical Gisele on Thursday as she hit the beach in her bikini -- sexy as hell, legs for days, toned abs, etc.

Tom on the other hand ... yeah, he's handsome too -- but, it looks like he's made some progress in the abs department since last year when the Internet clowned him for looking soft in the middle.

Of course, the big difference ... the "dad bod" pics were taken in July 2018 -- during the NFL offseason. These new pics were taken just 11 days after the Patriots won the Super Bowl ... so, football shape.

Still, the Brady fam was living it up on vacay -- with Tom even busting out the surfboard to catch a few waves in his Under Armour board shorts and rash guard (he's a UA spokesperson).

Did you know Ben Affleck made Warner Bros. stitch the No. 12 into his Batman costume during his entire run as the superhero as an ode to Tom Brady?!?

Neither did we ... 'cause it ain't true -- but Affleck joked it was Thursday on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' ... and the TB12 shout-out was hilarious!!!

Ben spoke with Kimmel on the late-night talk show and officially retired forever from playing The Dark Knight ... and to commemorate the moment -- Jimmy said they'd hang his costume in the rafters.

Guillermo -- Jimmy's ultra funny companion on the show -- brought out the bat costume (in his own Robin outfit) ... when suddenly, it was revealed the cape had "Batfleck 12" inscribed on it!!!

Ben said the number was a shout-out to none other than football's G.O.A.T., saying, "That’s Brady’s number. You can’t be a hero unless you wear number 12.”

Affleck added -- jokingly -- Warner Bros. "actually paid $80 million to digitally remove it from every movie.”

It was a funny moment ... but, it was hardly the best part of the skit -- that involved a Matt Damon thong and Affleck's nose.

Yeah, watch the clip.

The Patriots could replace Tom Brady with Colin Kaepernick ... so says NFL legend Cris Carter, who says he KNOWS Robert Kraft's team is "very, very fond" of the QB.

Tom's fresh off his sixth Super Bowl ring ... but he's 41 years old -- and there's no clear successor to him on the roster if Father Time somehow abruptly wins their yearly battle.

Enter Carter ... an NFL Hall of Famer and overall plugged in guy who says TB12's eventual replacement ain't in this year's draft -- it might be in free agency ... in the form of Kaepernick.

"I know that the Krafts are very, very fond of Colin Kaepernick," Carter said on FS1's "First Things First" ... "I'm just saying outside the box, if someone will do it, it will be the people in New England."

Kraft has been close with Trump for years -- but he's also been critical of the President. In fact, Kraft told NFL owners and players Trump's language referring to NFL kneelers was "divisive" and "horrible."

Tom Brady has also been critical of Trump. In fact, he also publicly labeled Trump's comments regarding Kap as "divisive."

Carter says the Pats aren't known for drafting very well ... and says, "I believe you should start looking at other situations besides the draft for how they're going to look to get Tom Brady's replacement."

Of course, Kap's been out of the league since the 2016 season ... claiming the NFL has blackballed him because of his anthem kneeling protests.

But ... people close to the QB say he can still play -- with even his ex-49ers coach, Chip Kelly, telling TMZ Sports, "He's ready to go."

Deshaun Watson danced his face off and moshed with a sea of people Wednesday night ... and it's all 'cause of Travis Scott!!!

The Texans superstar hit up the Toyota Center in Houston for La Flame's latest Astroworld stop ... and the QB went OFF when "SICKO MODE" started to play.

Watson -- who ditched box seats to enjoy the show on the floor with his fellow ragers -- bounced up and down ... and went crazy to Scott's biggest hit!!!

Deshaun even wore a tie-dye Travis Scott shirt for the concert ... saying, "On another planet ..."

John Elway made a desperate move trading for Joe Flacco ... and it could end up being a HUGE mistake -- so says Elvis Dumervil, who tells TMZ Sports, "Flacco is no Peyton Manning."

Elway took a page out of his 2012 Broncos playbook Wednesday ... acquiring a veteran Super Bowl MVP with the hopes of revitalizing a tired Denver franchise.

The problem? Elvis says Flacco ain't even close to what Manning was when Denver picked him up 7 years ago ... and now the former Bronco is SERIOUSLY concerned for the team's GM.

"It's a big gamble. Definitely desperate, no doubt ... It can be a great deal, or it can be another bad decision by John Elway."

Elvis' biggest issue with the move is Flacco's skill set -- the pass rusher tells us Joe NEEDS a good OC to thrive ... and he's worried that ain't there in Denver.

In fact, Dumervil says if Flacco DOESN'T have an elite play caller ... things are gonna get ugly at Mile High quickly -- the exact opposite of what went down after Elway signed Manning.

"[Elway] did a genius move with Peyton Manning. But unfortunately, Joe Flacco is no Peyton Manning."

Cleveland Browns stud tight end David Njoku says he's "excited" to play with Kareem Hunt next season -- telling TMZ Sports the RB will only add more firepower to an already explosive offense.

"I'm really excited that he's here," Njoku said ... "I know he can definitely help our offense in years to come rather than just next year."

You already know the backstory with Hunt ... but Njoku says he's "comfortable" playing with the former Chiefs star and wants to help him move forward with his career.

Njoku is also STOKED to get back on the field with Baker Mayfield.

"Baker coming to Cleveland is one of the greatest things that's ever happened to us. His mindset, his mentality ... he's the man!"

Of course, Cleveland hasn't won a division title since 1989 -- but Njoku is confident 2019 will be the year the Dawg Pound gets back in the postseason ... thanks to stars like Nick Chubb, Antonio Callaway, Jarvis Landry and others.

"We're very confident in each other ... and it's going to be a very fun year next year."

We also spoke with Njoku about his brothers -- who are also freak athletes and will both be playing college ball next season -- and he says he wouldn't be surprised if they're all balling in the league at the same time!!

Ex-Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle adamantly denied rape allegations in court Tuesday ... saying he didn't commit a crime because, "she never said no."

The former NFL player was arrested last September in Sedgwick County, Kansas for allegedly raping a woman for hours ... and was later hit with 11 charges including rape and aggravated criminal sodomy.

He appeared in court Tuesday to face the charges ... and told a judge he was innocent, saying, "She didn’t tell me. She never said nothing. She never said no. So how am I supposed to know?”

The alleged victim said otherwise ... testifying that Randle had gotten drunk, punched her in the face and forced her to have sex with him.

The woman claims she was able to escape ... and half-nakedly ran to her neighbor's home to call 911.

A Wichita Police officer testified in court Randle reeked of booze when he showed up to the scene.

Randle adamantly denied everything ... yelling at the judge multiple times -- which caused the judge to fire back at the ex-RB for speaking out of turn.

Randle did not enter a plea -- the arraignment portion of his hearing has been postponed to a date later this month.

His defense attorneys argue the 27-year-old -- who's been in and out of jail and mental health facilities for months -- isn't mentally competent to stand trial at this time.

The judge said he didn't agree ... but acknowledged Randle's mental health issues could be brought up in the case at a later date.

Broncos legend Terrell Davis says he's FIRED UP about John Elway's decision to bring Joe Flacco to Denver -- telling TMZ Sports, "I like the move because you're being aggressive."

The Hall of Famer -- who won 2 Super Bowls with Elway -- says he respects the fact that Elway isn't rolling the dice and betting the season on getting a quality QB in the draft.

Instead, Davis says Elway made a smart move in bringing in a guy with real Super Bowl experience and leadership ... the kinds of qualities that can change the culture of an organization.

Davis says it's clear Case Keenum wasn't the answer as QB in 2018 -- and TD says he's not convinced the 2019 NFL Draft class is "rich of young quarterbacks."

Davis also really likes Flacco's arm -- and says with the right coaching staff around him, he can lead the Broncos back to the promised land.

Add another victim to the list of people smitten by Tom Brady's gorgeous eyes and granite cheekbones, because it's pretty obvious Charles Barkley has a man crush on the G.O.A.T.

Barkley was on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday when his friendship with Patriots coach Bill Belichick became a topic of conversation.

Apparently, the two men have been friends for years, so much so that Chuck was invited to a Pats practice during Super Bowl week. That's when it happened ... he looked Tom Brady in the eyes.

"I said, 'Damn, you're a pretty man.' That's what I was thinking to myself. I got so embarrassed I started turning my head to talk to him."

BTW -- Barkley offered this up COMPLETELY UNPROMPTED ... which tells you just how much of an impression God's perfect creation made on him.

Don't worry Chuck ... we felt it too.

Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen ain't delusional about the future of his badly injured QB, Alex Smith ... telling TMZ Sports his fingers are crossed but they're not ruling out drafting a QB.

"Alex is getting better everyday and we're gonna keep our fingers crossed on how he's doing," Allen told us on Capitol Hill.

"We're going to listen to the doctors. Whatever the doctors tell us, that's what we'll do."

Of course, Smith's right leg was snapped in half in a game against the Texans on Nov. 18 ... with the QB breaking both his fibula and tibia to the point where bone poked through the skin.

After undergoing multiple major surgeries, the 34-year-old finally reappeared in public last month wearing a complex stabilizing brace around the injury.

We asked Allen if the team would be looking at drafting Kyler Murray. He smirked and told us, "I'm looking forward to meeting him at the combine along with 31 other teams."

We pushed to try and get info on the Washington draft strategy -- but Allen just smiled and told us, "We'll go with somebody, I promise you. We're gonna draft really good football players for the Redskins this year."

There's more ... Allen also told us the team is in talks with Adrian Peterson to bring back the RB for another season.

Earnest Byner says he's in favor of the Browns giving Kareem Hunt a second chance ... IF the ex-Chiefs superstar and the team can show he's a changed man.

TMZ Sports spoke with the ex-Brown shortly after Cleveland inked the troubled RB ... and he says BOTH Hunt and the team have to show more for him to accept the controversial signing.

Byner -- who trained with Hunt before the draft -- tells us he wants to see if Kareem has "gone through a process of development" before he throws his support behind the move.

Don't get it twisted ... Earnest says he's all in favor of second chances -- he just believes what Kareem did to a female in an altercation at a Cleveland hotel last year was unacceptable.

"We don't support the violence against women. Okay? That will never happen. That should not be."

For their part ... both general manager John Dorsey and Hunt himself issued statements insisting the running back has learned his lesson.

"What I did was wrong and inexcusable," Hunt said Monday.

Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn says his team DID consider signing Kareem Hunt ... but ultimately passed, saying, "I want good people in this organization."

The Lions brass held a Q&A session for season-ticket holders at Ford Field on Monday ... when Quinn opened up to a fan on why Kareem is in a Browns jersey now and not a Lions one.

Bob didn't hold back ... saying the troubled RB did NOT fit the mold of the kind of player they want on their team.

"We talked about it internally and he’s a player that we didn’t feel comfortable bringing to the Lions for numerous issues."

"I stand by that. That’s my word. I want good players and I want good people in this organization.”

Of course, Browns GM John Dorsey seems to disagree ... after signing Kareem on Monday he said, "Given what we know about Kareem through our extensive research, we believe he deserves a second chance."

Antonio Brown was found guilty in his reckless driving case -- stemming from a November incident when cops say the NFL star was doing 100 MPH in his Porsche.

Remember, cops in Pittsburgh were responding to a bank robbery on Nov. 8 when they saw a black Porsche racing away from the scene.

Cops gave chase and pulled the car over -- but it wasn't a bank robber, it was Brown, who was cited for reckless driving and ordered to appear in court.

Brown did NOT show up to court Tuesday and therefore did not fight the charges. The judge has ordered him to pay roughly $400 in fines and other fees. He has 30 days to appeal the case.

The Pittsburgh Steelers star is in the middle of a $68 MILLION contract -- it's peanuts to him.

U.S. Congressman Hank Johnson says it's a "grave injustice" that Kareem Hunt is getting a second chance in the NFL before Colin Kaepernick.

Hunt was signed to a 1-year deal by the Cleveland Browns on Monday -- mere months after TMZ Sports posted video showing Hunt getting violent with a woman in an Ohio hotel.

The Chiefs cut Kareem almost immediately ... and when we got Rep. Johnson in D.C. he told us he's blown away that Hunt got his second chance so fast, and Kap is still waiting.

"When I think about Colin Kaepernick and him being blackballed from the NFL for taking a knee for protesting social injustice but yet people who are accused of crimes get cut and then resigned quickly, something is wrong with that."

Johnson doesn't stop there, saying a reasonable person could think that the NFL cares less about violence against women then they do about someone standing up for a political cause.