NFL

Colin Kaepernick wasn't just courtside to watch the Golden State Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday ... he celebrated the win ON the court after the game!

Colin -- sporting a shirt featuring Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali -- sat right behind Steve Kerr at Moda Center for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

But Kap -- who spent 6 seasons in the Bay Area with the 49ers -- was treated like a VIP before, during and after the game.

In fact, when Golden State closed out their 119 to 117 victory ... players like Draymond Green and Steph Curry couldn't wait to walk over and chat him up.

There's footage of Steph telling his son, Canon, to say "What's up" to Colin -- while the QB smiles back at the little boy ... it's a sweet moment.

After the celebration, Colin was spotted outside the Warriors locker room.

Of course, the Warriors players and coach have publicly supported Kap for years -- and they've all pushed back against President Trump.

The Warriors famously skipped their White House visit in favor of visiting former President Barack Obama because they're not fans of Donald.

12:49 PM PT -- The guy who saved Zeke's ass ... is the victim, according to cops.

A spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... the main reason Zeke wasn't arrested is because the victim didn't want to push forward with charges.

"On Sunday, May 19, 2019 at approximately 3 a.m. LVMPD officers working at EDC observed from a distance an adult male, later identified as Elliott, push a security officer to the ground."

"Two officers approached and placed Elliott into handcuffs while they investigated the incident. The security guard who was the victim of the misdemeanor battery, refused to press charges and officers escorted Elliott a short distance away and he was released."

If you're a Cowboys fan, might wanna buy this dude a beer the next time you're in Vegas.

Ezekiel Elliott was handcuffed at the EDC music festival in Las Vegas over the weekend after he shoved a security guard to the ground and TMZ Sports has the video.

... but the NFL star's attorney says Zeke was NOT formally arrested (only detained) and claims the whole thing is much ado about nothing.

Here's the deal ... the Dallas Cowboys superstar running back had been spotted in the parking lot at the Electric Daisy Carnival around 3 AM on Saturday morning arguing with his girlfriend.

Zeke never puts his hands on the woman but he uses his body to block her from walking away several times during the argument.

A short time later, Zeke and the woman are seen speaking with event staffers -- when suddenly Elliott confronts one them and says, "You got something to say!?"

Zeke gets in the staffer's face and uses his body to shove the guy backward until the staffer hits a metal gate -- that's when Zeke uses his forearm to shove the guy to the ground.

Zeke immediately throws his hands up and says, "I didn't do anything!"

Event security -- along with Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. officers rush over and eventually put Zeke in handcuffs and escort him away from the scene.

We spoke with Zeke's attorney, Frank Salzano, who says Elliott was released shortly after our video ends and he was not formally arrested or charged with a crime.

Salzano says Elliott was just having a normal discussion with his girlfriend and blames event security for "overreacting."

"Security misconstrued and overreacted to the situation," Salzano tells TMZ Sports.

"He was cuffed as a precautionary measure. He was released with no charges. He left Vegas that night and went to his [youth football camp in Dallas] on Sunday."

Even without an official arrest, Elliott could face discipline from the NFL if they find his actions violated the league's personal conduct policy.

Remember, the league had investigated Zeke in 2017 over allegations he physically abused an ex-girlfriend -- and even though he wasn't arrested, the league believed there was enough evidence to warrant a 6-game suspension.

Zeke has always maintained he did not attack the accuser in that situation.

Leonard Fournette's car troubles seem to be officially behind him ... the Jaguars star just copped a plea deal in his car wash arrest case -- and he won't have to spend any time behind bars for the incident.

As we previously reported ... Fournette was busted last month after cops say he was speeding with illegal tint on his windows in Florida.

When cops pulled him over at the Easy Breezy Car Wash in Jacksonville ... they learned he was also driving on a suspended license and had a warrant out for his arrest stemming from a previous traffic violation -- so they cuffed him.

Fournette was hit with multiple charges including driving on a suspended license and was facing up to 60 days in jail.

But, the good news for the 24-year-old ... he paid off the fines from his previous traffic issues and when his attorney showed up in court Monday -- he struck a deal with prosecutors on the new charges too.

Court records show Fournette pled no contest to driving without a valid driver's license, and in exchange, his speeding and illegal tint charges were dropped.

Leonard was forced to pay roughly $300 in fines and court fees.

More bad news for Reuben Foster ... the Washington Redskins LB was carted off the field Monday after suffering a scary injury during his first practice ever with the team.

Reporters on the scene say the ex-Alabama star -- who the 'Skins just picked up a few months ago after the 49ers cut him -- injured his left leg during an on-field play.

Foster reportedly was pushed to the ground ... and was in clear and obvious pain afterward -- punching the grass and screaming out loud.

Trainers put Foster's leg in a cast and carted him off the field ... and it's unclear right now how severe the injury is -- but things don't look good.

It's another piece of bad news for Foster -- who's dealt with multiple issues the past two years including two separate domestic violence incidents as well as a marijuana arrest.

Foster appeared to have all his troubles behind him after signing with the Redskins back in November -- the NFL said he would NOT be suspended after his most recent domestic violence arrest -- and he looked poised to be a starter for Washington this season.

Troubled QB Chad Kelly just signed a new contract with the Indianapolis Colts -- and it begs the question ... is his uncle, Jim Kelly, to thank?

Here's the deal ... Jim had been working out with Chad this offseason to help him get a second shot in the NFL after he was cut by the Denver Broncos in 2018 following a bizarre arrest.

But, it's also hard to ignore the Jim Kelly connection with the Colts -- a team coached by Jim's former backup, Frank Reich!

Remember, Frank famously took over for an injured Jim Kelly in Buffalo during the 1992 NFL playoffs and led the Bills to the most historic comeback win ever when they were down 35-3 at halftime to the Houston Oilers.

So, did Jim call in a favor to his old friend?

Maybe ... but Chad still has to cut it on the field or else he'll be outta there.

Chad has to keep his nose clean while trying to earn his job on the regular season roster -- he was just sentenced to 1 year supervised probation after striking a plea deal in his home invasion arrest.

As we previously reported, Chad entered a random person's home after a night of boozing with the team back in October -- and was chased out of the home by a man wielding a vacuum cleaner tube.

After the Broncos cut Chad, his Hall of Fame uncle Jim met up with him to help guide along his QB workouts ... and he looked pretty good.

Kelly got a tryout with the Colts earlier this month -- and it seems they liked what they saw.

Great news, Rams fans ... your star running back, Todd Gurley, is doing great and should return to form in 2019, this according to head coach Sean McVay.

McVay and a bunch of his star players went out to the United Way's HomeWalk 5K to raise money to end homelessness in L.A. ... everyone from Aaron Donald to Johnny Hekker rolled through.

"It's great, man," McVay said about the event ... "We got a lot of players out here today."

So, what about Gurley? He wasn't at the event ... but everyone there was talking about him -- wondering how he's doing after a bizarre end to the 2018 season.

Remember, Gurley was killing it last year for most of the season ... then fell off hard in the playoffs and barely contributed in the Super Bowl. There were rumblings that he jacked up his knee bad.

But, McVay didn't seem worried over the weekend -- telling us Gurley's knee is "doing good" -- he expects him to be fine when the season starts.

We hope he's right ... but things didn't seem great when we saw Todd limping around L.A. back in April.

Tyreek Hill's teammates still have his back and are still pulling for him to rejoin the team ... so says Dwayne Bowe, who tells TMZ Sports he heard that straight from Chiefs players last week.

"When I talk to guys on the team, they're still rooting for him," the ex-Kansas City wideout says ... "They're pulling for him."

As we previously reported ... Hill's been indefinitely banished from the Chiefs until an investigation into child abuse allegations finishes up in Missouri.

Bowe says both he AND current Chiefs players are still in Hill's corner for now ... and claims the only way they're going to change their mind is when all the facts come out about the case.

"It's all he said, she said until the final word is out," Bowe tells us.

In the meantime, Bowe is vouching for Tyreek, saying, "He's a good guy. I've met him. I really don't believe all the things I hear on the internet and in the news."

The sister of LA Chargers linebacker Tre'Von Johnson was arrested back in March after cops say she choked the NFL player in a fight over laundry ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to police documents, Tre'Von and his sister, Tkeyah Johnson, got into a scrap when she wanted to wash her clothes at Tre'Von's Denton County, Texas home ... but he prevented her.

Cops say Tkeyah grabbed Tre'Von by his neck in a rage over not being allowed access to the washing machine ... and when he had trouble breathing -- he pushed her, causing her to fall to the floor.

Cops say marks were visible on Tre'Von ... and when they determined on the scene that Tkeyah was the primary aggressor in the altercation -- they arrested her.

Tkeyah was charged with domestic assault involving choking -- a felony in Texas -- and later posted bond.

Tre'Von has bounced around the NFL since signing with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent out of Weber State in 2017 ... playing for the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Chargers the past 2 years.

Now that Dwayne Bowe is officially retired ... he's revealing the one defender who gave him the biggest headaches on the field -- Champ Bailey!!!

Bowe -- who led the NFL in receiving TDs back in 2010 -- just signed a 1-day contract to end his career with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this week ... finishing with more than 7,200 yards and 537 receptions.

Bowe coulda had a few more receptions if it weren't for Bailey, admitting the Hall of Famer is the ONLY guy who was able to hold him to ZERO catches in a game (in his prime) because of his coverage.

When he wasn't defended by the legend, Bowe has a Pro Bowl season in 2010 and earned 2nd team All-Pro honors that same year.

So ... what's next for Bowe??? He's looking to take over the rap game. He's released his first album, "No Referee" earlier this year ... and has a song with Trippie Redd coming out as well!!

"Everybody's been receptive to the music," Bowe says. "This is my first love before I actually played football. A lot of people don't know i was recording myself before I ever touched a football."

Sick of seeing Tom Brady flash his SIX Super Bowl rings on land? Well, you're gonna hate the new Patriots' team plane paint job!

The NFL's most dominant organization just freshened up their official team jet -- touting their 6th NFL title after crushing the L.A. Rams in Super Bowl LIII back in February.

The team also added the 6th Lombardi Trophy to the tail of the plane -- but there's a HUGE problem ... it's missing the DENT that Rob Gronkowski inflicted on the hardware last month.

Remember, Gronk used the trophy as a baseball bat during some hitting practice before the Red Sox game at Fenway Park ... and when he squared to bunt, the baseball left a sizable dent.

The team jet isn't the only vehicle that got more smug after the Super Bowl -- Bill Belichick already renamed his personal boat, "VIII Rings" ... to reflect the 8 NFL championships he's won during his career.

The Denver Broncos are doing an awesome thing to help local families in the aftermath of a tragic school shooting ... offering up their practice facility so students have a place to hold their graduation ceremonies.

Last week -- just days after a student opened fire at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado, killing one and injuring 8 others -- officials reached out to the Broncos for some help.

The school needed a place to hold its ceremonies for its graduating students ... and the Broncos stepped up in a big way -- happily giving away their UCHealth Training Center in Dove Valley.

"STEM School reached out to the Broncos late last week about the possibility of hosting its graduations at UCHealth Training Center," Broncos' executive vice president of public and community relations Patrick Smyth said in a statement.

"We told them we’d be happy to help the school, the students and their families in any way possible."

The Broncos played host to a kindergarten ceremony Thursday -- The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala reported -- and are expected to play host to a bigger grad ceremony early next week.

For their part, Broncos players have also reached out in the aftermath of the tragedy, with superstar pass rusher Bradley Chubb saying, "Got a chance to meet the graduating seniors from the STEM School out here in Co."

The Bears and Redskins don't play until week 3 this season ... but the matchup is already in Dwayne Haskins' head -- 'cause he says he's legit concerned about being hit by Khalil Mack!!!

The Washington rookie QB was out at LAX Wednesday night ... when he was asked which player in the NFL he is the most worried about.

Without hesitation, the draft's No. 15 overall pick said, "Khalil Mack is somebody I would not want to be touched by!"

Bad news for Dwayne? That's probably going to happen ... and it's probably going to happen VERY early in his career.

The 'Skins and Bears are set for a Sept. 23 matchup at FedEx Field ... and with the Redskins already hoping Dwayne begins the season as the starter -- Mack's likely going to be gunnin' for him.

Hope the pads are strapped on tight!!!

Two of the Denver Broncos top NFL draft picks --QB Drew Lock and TE Noah Fant -- were involved in an airport shuttle crash at LAX on Wednesday ... but don't worry, THEY'RE FINE!!

In fact, Lock was laughing afterward and joked, "We've taken worse hits!"

Fant (the 20th overall pick) and Lock (the 42nd overall pick) had just touched down in Los Angeles and boarded a shuttle to take them from the plane to the terminal when it collided with another vehicle.

"The shuttle hit something," Lock said ... "It was wild."

Lock -- who was standing inside of the shuttle at the time -- says he doesn't believe anyone was injured in the wreck ... noting, "It was just really weird."

Lock says the crash was "pretty hard" -- but both guys seemed fine afterward ... joking that they wouldn't be filing insurance claims or anything like that.

There's more ...

Lock was also asked about a potential rift with Broncos starting QB Joe Flacco -- who recently said it was not "my job" to mentor Lock.

But, Lock says there's NO BEEF AT ALL -- in fact, he's been getting along pretty well with Flacco so far.

"Me and Joe ... he's taught me a lot so far," Lock said.

"He's been great to me."

Kareem Hunt says he has NOT directly apologized to the victim in the 2018 hotel hallway attack -- but he wants to.

"I have not, but if I was to see her, I would apologize to her face," the Cleveland Browns running back told the media Wednesday.

"But, I have not had the chance to do that. I don't know any ways of contacting her. I have not."

Hunt was asked a bunch of questions about the incident -- and how he's been trying to improve as a person since TMZ Sports published the video of the attack.

Hunt says he's been going to counseling and has leaned into religion -- he's being baptized this Sunday and looks forward to the feeling of "being reborn."

The 23-year-old says he understands he's on thin ice with the Browns and feels grateful for his 2nd chance ... and vows to make the most of the opportunity.

Hunt insists he's grown as a person and has learned how to deal with his anger in a better way -- and will NOT make the same mistakes that got him in trouble in the first place.

Antonio Brown's bank account is now .00005 percent less than what it was yesterday ... 'cause the NFL superstar was just fined a whopping $25 in court after pleading guilty to "Driving at Safe Speed."

For real.

Here's the deal ... AB was busted back in November after cops say they caught his black Porsche going 100-plus MPH in a 45 just outside of Pittsburgh.

Brown was cited for reckless driving, and after he failed to show up for his court date in February ... he was found guilty of the charge and was sentenced to pay around $400 in fines and fees.

But, AB appealed the case ... and actually showed up for his new hearing Tuesday (he made a video from inside the courthouse!) -- and ended up pleading guilty to a lesser charge of "Driving at Safe Speed."

No, that's not a typo -- "driving at a safe speed" is an actual violation in Pennsylvania -- defined as driving "a vehicle at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions."

Brown's punishment for that? A staggering $25 fine plus other court fees.

Of course, chump change for the wide receiver ... the guy just signed a new $50,125,000 deal with the Raiders.

1:12 PM PT -- TMZ Sports talked to Bills legend Andre Reed -- who spent time with Pancho at the 2018 NFL Draft ... and the HOF'er reflected on his tragic passing.

Beloved Buffalo Bills fan Ezra Castro -- better known as "Pancho Billa" -- has died after a long battle with cancer ... his family announced Tuesday.

"Our hearts broken as we have lost our dear brother ezra "Pancho Billa" this morning," the family said in a statement.

"We are thankful and forever grateful for all the love and support during this journey. Ezra was surrounded by family and loved ones."

If you've ever seen a Bills game since 2008, you've probably noticed Pancho -- whose trademark sombrero and mask costume was a huge hit among Bills Mafia. He was the first fan inducted into the Buffalo Fan Wall of Fame late last year.

When he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer after a mass was discovered on his spine in 2017, the team rallied around Pancho and hosted him at games and the team facilities.

The 39-year-old Pancho played a big role in the Bills drafts the past 2 seasons ... personally announcing their 3rd round pick on stage in 2018 ... and gave GM Brandon Beane his stamp of approval before the team picked Ed Oliver with their first round pick last month.

Oliver visited Pancho in the hospital last week ... and even Bills legend Jim Kelly has shown support during his battle.

A GoFundMe has been set up for Pancho ... with all donations going to his family.