NFL

Tom Brady wins EVERYTHING ... including fans' credit cards -- 'cause the NFL says the Patriots legend is its leader in merch sales AGAIN!!!

So, the big question ... where does the league's HIGHEST-paid player rank on the list? Russell Wilson isn't even in the Top 10!

The NFL Player's Association just dropped the numbers which show fans spent more money on TB12 items from March 1, 2018 to February 28, 2019 than ANY other player.

How does the rest of the list shake out? It's interesting ...

#2 -- Dak Prescott

#3 -- Carson Wentz

#4 -- Ezekiel Elliott

#5 -- Patrick Mahomes

#6 -- Saquon Barkley

#7 -- Aaron Rodgers

#8 -- Deshaun Watson

#9 -- Khalil Mack

#10 -- Drew Brees

Some other notables on the list ...

Baker Mayfield was #12, Odell Beckham clocked in at #13 ... and Russell Wilson was all the way down at #19 behind guys like Mitchell Trubisky and Adam Thielen.

Some other shocking numbers ... JJ Watt was down at #34, Cam Newton was down at #39 and Matthew Stafford was at #43.

Jimmy Garoppolo -- who's only played 26 games in 5 years -- was #23 on the list ... though it might have to do more with people supporting his off-the-field game!

Ex-Baylor superstar and NFL prospect Shawn Oakman says legal expenses from fighting a false rape allegation broke him ... so much so that he had to sell one of his Bowl game champion rings.

The defensive end was accused of sexual assault in 2016, just days before the NFL draft would've likely made him a millionaire. He went undrafted and hasn't stepped foot on an NFL field yet.

Shawn was exonerated back in February -- with a jury deliberating just 45 minutes before finding him not guilty, citing evidence that the sex was consensual.

Oakman recently sat down for an interview with Ben Raymond for a special called "Shawn Oakman: The Rebirth" and opened up about what the entire ordeal cost him, and the cost was HIGH.

"I went through two paid lawyers. The second lawyer, it got all the way to trial. The week before she needed $60k just to step in the courtroom. I already gave her $60k ... but she needed $60k just to step in the courtroom, so she dropped my case. I didn't have it."

"That's when I got a public defender," Oakman said.

Shawn, who had yet to sign a pro contract, went on to describe exactly the way he came up with the cash for his defense.

"Before that, basically I had one of my bowl game rings. I sold my bowl game ring on eBay to pay for my lawyer."

Oakman is now 27, has lost three insanely important years of his career, and might not ever get his NFL chance ... but he insists he's not at all depressed about the situation.

"I think that it's perceived as kind of a douchey thing to do, but that's why it's funny!"

That's Steve-O -- the man who made getting tattoos of himself on himself famous -- weighing in on Ezekiel Elliott's tat ... and, spoiler alert, the guy LOVES what the running back did!

"Everybody's favorite topic of conversation is themselves," the former "Jackass" star tells TMZ Sports ... "So, why not just celebrate that?"

Remember, Steve-O once inked a GIANT pic of himself on his back ... and in case ya forgot what it looked like, watch the clip -- he showed us how it's aged over the years.

So, when got him out in L.A. on Tuesday ... we had to ask for his thoughts on the Dallas Cowboys superstar getting his mug etched into the side of his calf earlier this month.

No surprise here ... Steve-O says he's ALL FOR IT!!!

"You gotta have the ability to not take yourself too seriously. Poke a little fun at yourself. 'I'm self-centered, I enjoy myself,' and I think that's funny, you know?"

If Kyler Murray is thinking about using his first NFL paycheck to buy some crazy jewelry ... IT'S NOT A TERRIBLE IDEA!!!

... this according to Donald Trump's chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow.

Kudlow -- the director of the National Economic Council -- was in D.C. when we asked if he could dish out some financial advice for the football stars about to become millionaires when the NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night.

Of course, Kudlow encouraged all of the players to get good financial advisers and invest ... but he also got SPECIFIC about where the players should put their money!

"Buy the indexes and hold them," Kudlow said.

"Buy the broad indexes! They're cheap ... don't buy a million, but buy SOME and hold them ... and bet on America!"

As for the jewelry stuff ... Kudlow laughed at first, but then got serious and told us, "Actually, a good portfolio SHOULD have some gold!"

See that, GET THAT BLING!!!

We also asked Kudlow if Russell Wilson buying $12,000 in Amazon stock for all 13 of his Seattle Seahawks linemen is a good idea ... and you gotta hear Kudlow's response.

Remember, Kudlow's boss, Donald Trump, HATES Amazon's top guy, Jeff Bezos -- which makes Kudlow's answer all the more interesting.

Not everyone is a fan of Wilson's gift -- we spoke with actors Michael Ealy and Meagan Good ... and it's clear some people think Russ should have cut BIGGER checks, considering he just signed a $140 MILLION contract.

But hey, a gift is a gift ... right?

It's over for Marshawn Lynch -- and this time, it's for good!

Beast Mode is reportedly hanging up his football cleats ... again ... retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons in the league, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Oakland Raiders running back just turned 33 years old this week -- which is old for an NFL running back -- and "is not planning to play football again."

The timing is interesting ... the 2019 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday and now Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and GM Mike Mayock can focus on bringing in a fresh set of legs to take over the role.

Lynch is a legend -- he racked up 10,379 rushing yards in his incredible career and 93 total touchdowns ... which would have been 94 if Pete Carroll would have called a RUN PLAY at the end of Super Bowl XLIX!!!!

Marshawn has retired before ... he stepped away from the Seattle Seahawks back in 2016 -- and around that time, we tried to ask him if he would ever come back to the game.

His response is one of the best burns on a TMZ photog ... EVER!!

Odell Beckham had every right to go scorched earth on his former team and his ex-boss in a Twitter rant ... so says DeAngelo Hall -- who tells TMZ Sports the Giants deserved it!!

The ex-Redskins star -- who's doing NFL Draft coverage this week for FS1 -- says, "I'm cool with [Odell] venting because I felt like the Giants GM was out of line!"

Of course, if you haven't been keeping up ... Odell and the Giants have been in a tiff since Big Blue traded the star WR to the Cleveland Browns in March.

But, things really heated up in their beef last week ... when Giants GM Dave Gettleman told reporters he feels like the G-Men have no more culture issues now that Odell is gone.

Beckham didn't take kindly to that ... blasting Gettleman and the Giants on Monday in an epic Twitter rant:

Enter Hall ... who tells us he's just fine with Beckham going hard on the keyboard, because he says point-blank he doesn't think Gettleman is doing a good job.

"I think you gotta be blind to think that Eli Manning is still the answer at quarterback. And then, you hear them not wanting to draft Dwayne Haskins, and you just kind of scratch your head like, 'Man, does this team really want to win?'"

Hall added, "It's just not adding up to me when I put my GM hat on, but that guy gets paid to be the GM. So, we'll see what decisions he makes and we'll see if it works out."

As for Odell panning out in Cleveland, Hall has no doubts he'll be a fine teammate there ... and ya gotta hear why.

By the way, Hall also says he thinks Kyler Murray should be the #1 overall pick Thursday night ... saying he sees "a little bit" of his old Falcons QB Mike Vick in the Oklahoma star!

Nearly $12 MILLION worth of fake championship and team rings are now OFF the market ... so say U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials -- who say they just seized 177 counterfeit pieces!

CBP officials announced Tuesday they found nearly 200 fake rings during an inspection of a March 11 shipment from China to the U.S.

The faux bling included Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots Super Bowl rings, New York Yankees World Series rings and much more.

And, we gotta say ... they do look pretty awesome.

But, officials say they caught the stuff before it could be sold to Americans -- claiming they saved U.S. consumers $11.7 MILLION with the seizure!!!

"This most recent interception of counterfeit sports rings demonstrates the ongoing vigilance and commitment to the mission by our CBP Officers and Import Specialists," officials said.

Robert Kraft just won a major battle in the war over whether that spa video ever sees the light of day -- a judge has granted a protective order that keeps it on lockdown ... for now.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge agreed with Kraft's attorneys that releasing the police surveillance video to the media would jeopardize the Patriots owner's right to a fair trial. As a result, the judge's order says the video cannot go public until the case is over -- whether that's by plea agreement or prosecutors dropping the charges -- or once a trial jury is sworn in for the case.

The order is a victory for Kraft's legal team because it means ... prosecutors can't use the potential release of the video as leverage to get Kraft to cave on a plea deal.

However, Kraft might want to keep the champagne on ice.

There's another hearing scheduled for Friday where the judge is expected to make a decision about suppressing the release of any evidence in the case -- including the spa video. In Tuesday's order, the judge says he's reserving the right to reconsider his decision after Friday's hearing.

7:45 AM PT -- A judge ruled Mingbi will be released on $5,000 bond on the condition she surrenders her passport and does not work in the spa/massage industry.

Cops have arrested another woman in the Robert Kraft prostitution case -- a 58-year-old who allegedly performed a sexual act on the Patriots owner with another woman at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.

Jupiter Police arrested Shen Mingbi -- who cops say was in the massage room with Kraft on January 19, 2019.

According to the police report, Kraft was joined in the massage room by 2 women -- one of whom was Mingbi.

Officials say the encounter was captured on surveillance and shows both Mingbi and Lei Wang using their hands on Kraft's penis.

Officials say Mingbi was also involved in sexual acts with several other men at the spa.

Wang had already been arrested and charged in the case -- but now, officials have busted Mingbi too.

Mingbi has been formally charged with 1 count of deriving support from prostitution and 8 counts of offer to commit prostitution. She's in court right now (Tuesday) to face the charges.

As for Kraft, he's got a hearing on Friday where he'll continue to fight to block officials from releasing the spa video to the media.

Kraft has claimed the release of the video would hamper his ability to get a fair trial because it would taint the jury pool.

Teammates that go to hockey games together ... feed each other???

That's exactly what happened when Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott hit up the Dallas Stars game Monday night ... 'cause the QB fed his running back a whole bucket of popcorn!!

It all went down in Dallas' playoff game against the Preds ... when cameras caught the two Cowboys stars taking in the action.

Zeke, of course, had to hit the jumbotron with his famous "Feed Me!" celebration ... so Dak obliged -- making an entire bucket of popcorn rain all over the RB's face!!

Seems the guys on the ice were motivated by the gesture ... 'cause the Stars finished off the series upset over Nashville, winning the game in overtime just a few minutes later.

Forget watches, luggage and fancy booze ... Russell Wilson just thanked his Seahawks offensive line with the most Prime gift ever -- $12,000 in Amazon stock each!!

Remember, Wilson just signed a 4-year, $140 MILLION contract -- making the QB the highest paid player in the NFL.

So, to thank the guys who protect his ass, Russell busted out the credit card and spent a grand total of $156,000 on his 13 offensive linemen, TMZ Sports has learned.

Each player got a letter with the stock gift explaining why #3 hooked them up.

"Every Sunday we go to battle together," Wilson wrote ... "You sacrifice your physical and mental well-being to protect me, which in turn allows me to provide and care for my family."

"This does not go unnoticed and it is never forgotten."

Russell says he wants to help his teammates prepare for life after football and believes stock in Amazon will help these players achieve their dreams.

"When I sat down to think of ways to honor your dedication a dozen different ideas came to mind. Some were flashy, some were cool, but I wanted to give you something that had a lasting impact. Something that would affect the lives of you, your family, and your children."

"You have invested in my life ... this is my investment into yours."

Ezekiel Elliott will NEVER forget what he looked like when he dominated the NFL ... 'cause the Dallas Cowboys superstar got his own mug tatted on his leg!!!

The NFL's leading rusher just got the ink done this month ... and it's massive -- taking up nearly all of the outside of his (very muscular) calf.

The pic is a twist on a famous shot of a helmet-less Zeke ... with zombie eyes and a crown on top of his trademark afro.

Seems Zeke LOVES the artwork ... he put it on full display while hanging out with Von Miller and Erroll Spence at Miller's charity event this past weekend.

Of course, Zeke has some pretty unique ink all over his body -- there's an Ohio State logo on his shoulder, a portrait of his mom on his chest and even one of his dogs on his forearm.

Freddie Mitchell HATED his playing days with Donovan McNabb ... telling TMZ Sports the Eagles QB was a jealous hater who cost him $40 MILLION!!!

"He hated that people loved me more than him," FredEx says.

Of course, Freddie played with D-Mac for 4 seasons from 2001 to 2004 in Philly ... and while it might have seemed like the guys got along back then -- Freddie tells us that ain't the case.

Mitchell says McNabb was jealous of anybody who got more shine than him on the Eagles -- so much so, Mitchell says the QB straight-up refused to throw him the ball!!

In fact, Freddie tells us he thinks Donovan cost him and his family between $20 and $40 MILLION because of his antics ... saying, "It cost me a second contract, you know?"

Freddie is just the latest Eagle to come clean with his hatred toward the legendary Philly QB ... All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson just called him a snake a few days ago.

And why? It all stems from McNabb saying Carson Wentz should be benched if he can't lead the Eagles past the second round of the playoffs.

For his part, Donovan doesn't seem bothered by the all the talk ... he posted a "Winning!" GIF on Twitter on Sunday night with a caption saying, "Deal with it."

Man ... we've come a long way from 4th-and-26.

Atlanta Falcons legend Roddy White was arrested in Georgia earlier this month -- after he was pulled over for a stupid carpool lane mishap ... and cops noticed a warrant out for his arrest.

Gwinnett County police officers say they saw the 37-year-old WR crossing the double lines to enter the carpool lane on I-85 on April 12 -- a big no-no -- and claimed Roddy's bonehead move put other drivers in danger.

During the stop, cops ran Roddy's name in the system and that's when things went from bad to worse ...

Turns out, there's a warrant out for Roddy -- who allegedly blew off a court date from a previous legal situation.

Cops say Roddy's driver's license had also been suspended -- so, he was arrested and hauled to a nearby station where he was booked and processed. His car, an Audi A8L, was impounded.

Unclear what the previous violation is ... but it seems to be another traffic-related incident since his license was suspended.

The whole thing sounds VERY similar to the case of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette -- who was arrested in Florida earlier this month when a routine traffic stop revealed a warrant and suspended license too.

In Fournette's case, he had failed to pay a speeding ticket -- and then failed to show up to court. When he was stopped on April 11, cops handcuffed him at a car wash and took him in.

Fournette later paid the fine and now the case is closed. Seems like White will have a similar outcome.

We reached out to Roddy for comment -- so far, no word back.

Here's Rob Gronkowski showing he's still got a little football in him after retiring from the NFL -- throwing passes to fans in the Bahamas this weekend ... and showing off the scar from his back surgery.

Gronk and his swimsuit model girlfriend, Camille Kostek, spent Easter weekend right by the beach -- taking in some sun at a fancy resort in Nassau ... it's gorgeous.

Kostek shot footage of a shirtless Gronk playing catch with some kids -- and you can see the scar on his lower back from the procedure he underwent in Dec. 2016 to treat a herniated disc.

Gronk returned the following season and had a monster year -- he was named a 1st Team All-Pro in 2017. Pretty amazing comeback.

But now, it's a wrap for Gronk ... he officially announced his retirement from the NFL back in March and says he's excited for the next phase of his life.

Forget Rookie of the Year ... Darius Leonard is now Good Samaritan of the Year -- 'cause the Colts star linebacker pulled off on the side of the road to help a woman change her tire!!

It all went down this past weekend ... when a woman clearly needed an assist with a busted wheel on her Buick.

Enter 23-year-old Leonard -- the AFC's 6"2', 234-pound Rookie Of The Year -- who got down on his hands and knees to help the woman out!!!

Leonard seemed to have no problem gettin' dirty ... he was crawling through some thick grass to make sure the tire was changed properly.

As for the woman ... she was grateful for the awesome gesture, saying to the linebacker, "Thank the lord for angels!"

It's just another good mark on Leonard's awesome resume ... the dude's done nothing but kill it since entering the NFL -- 'memba when he had 163 tackles and 7 sacks last season!!!