NFL

Kate Upton and Justin Verlander had the best seats in the house at the Houston Texans game on Thursday -- getting the ultimate VIP treatment ... plus hugs from J.J. Watt!

The Houston Astros pitcher was being honored at NRG Stadium in Houston for winning the 2019 AL Cy Young Award ... his 2nd Cy Young ... and they picked the right game to attend!

Deshaun Watson threw for nearly 300 yards and 2 TDs as the Texans escaped with a 20-to-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Kate and Justin not only got field access before the game to rub shoulders with stars like Watt, Watson and others ... but they later got to chill in a VIP suite!

There was even a moment where the Texans put Kate and Justin on the Jumbotron -- and Kate shot herself being shot ... and put it on IG!

After the game, the couple got to go back in the locker room where Watson hooked 'em up with a signed jersey (it looks game worn, but we're told it's not. Still cool though!).

Nick Cannon is siding with Terrell Owens -- saying the NFL legend was RIGHT when he said ESPN's Max Kellerman is blacker than Stephen A. Smith.

He was laughing when he said it ... but it's clear Nick agrees with Owens when it comes to the larger topic, Colin Kaepernick.

FYI, Cannon is close friends with Kap -- which was the topic of discussion that set things off on ESPN's "First Take" between T.O. and Stephen A. on Thursday.

Owens has been unhappy with Stephen A's negative criticism of Kap for the way the QB handled the NFL workout -- so he went on the show to hash things out and told SAS his white cohost Max Kellerman "almost seems blacker than you."

Stephen A. was PISSED and told Owens that he "done crossed the line.":

So, when we saw Cannon out in L.A. on Thursday night, he made it clear he's on Team T.O.

"At the end of the day, you always have to stand for your culture. We always gotta have a united front as a people."

Cannon added, "I support Kaepernick 100%. I've always been with him 'cause that's one of my close friends."

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft called out Donald Trump as "divisive and horrible" when talking about NFL kneelers at the '17 NFL summit ... and TMZ Sports has the audio.

It all went down in October 2017 -- roughly 1 month after President Trump called for NFL teams to fire any "son of a bitch" who doesn't stand for the national anthem.

The owners felt the league was taking a serious PR hit and called for owners, players and league execs to come together to talk about possible solutions.

That's when Kraft addressed the room ... and explained how POTUS would twist whatever plan they came up with to advance his own agenda.

"I must tell you, I think these dialogues are great," Kraft said. "But, the elephant in the room now in my opinion, is this kneeling, which every player has a right to do if they feel it's right."

"The problem we have is, we have a President that will use that as fodder to do his mission that I don’t feel is in the best interest of the matter. It's divisive and it's horrible. And, it’s actually the opposite of what you all are trying to do."

Kraft explains there is 40% of the country that will crap all over any possible plan just because they'll side with Trump no matter what.

"I just hope one of the things that can come out of here is that we find a way to be unified. And, be able to carry through and follow through."

Remember, Kraft and Trump -- once close friends -- had a rift in their relationship over the kneeling situation ... but seem to have patched things up.

"Man, it's been rough, to say the least."

That's an emotional Montae Nicholson -- still clearly distraught -- talking about how he's been handling the death of a 21-year-old woman while cooperating with police.

"I'd like to make it known that this week has been extremely hard on not only myself but Julia's friends and family as well," the Washington Redskins safety said.

We broke the story ... cops say Nicholson and another man dropped Julia Crabbe off at a Virginia-area hospital last Wednesday night, where she died from a suspected drug overdose.

Montae played for the Redskins vs. the Jets just 3 days later -- and on Thursday, Nicholson was asked point-blank if the team pressured him to take the field.

"End of the day, it was my decision. I wasn't forced into anything."

In fact, Nicholson says the Redskins organization has been extremely supportive while he deals with the tragedy and police investigation.

"My teammates and fans ... the head office, they made it very well known that they have my back ... they could have shut the door on me and turned their backs, but they didn't."

As we previously reported, investigators believe Crabbe had been at Montae's house before the OD ... and a search of Nicholson's home turned up marijuana, pills and "foil with residue."

Nicholson has NOT been accused of any criminal wrongdoing -- and says he's cooperating with police.

Meanwhile, the Redskins are set to play the Detroit Lions this week and Montae says he plans on taking the field again.

Myles Garrett is officially done for the season ... and perhaps even longer.

The Cleveland Browns superstar was banned indefinitely by the NFL after he attacked Mason Rudolph with the Steelers QB's helmet at the end of "Thursday Night Football" last week.

But, the 23-year-old met with league officials Wednesday (in his swaggiest blue outfit) with the hopes of getting the suspension reduced.

Turns out, the NFL wasn't buying what Garrett was selling ... and upheld the ban -- saying Garrett is still barred from the league for all of this season and maybe some of next.

"[Appeals officer James Thrash] has upheld all discipline issued to Myles Garrett," the league said in a statement.

It's a huge loss for the Browns ... Garrett was considered a Defensive Player of the Year candidate with 10 sacks in 10 games.

It's also a big financial bummer for Myles ... the former No. 1 overall pick was slated to make $4.6 MILLION this season, but because of the suspension, he'll lose over $1 MILLION of that.

For his part, Garrett did apologize for the Rudolph altercation ... but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Myles claimed the whole thing started because Rudolph hurled a racial slur at him.

Rudolph, through his attorney, has ADAMANTLY denied that accusation.

Terrell Owens just ripped Stephen A. Smith for his Colin Kaepernick criticism ... and straight-up told the ESPN star his white cohost, Max Kellerman, "almost seems blacker than you."

SAS has been one of Kap's biggest detractors since his NFL workout over the weekend ... essentially blasting the QB for not publicly explaining his situation further.

TO has taken major issue with the TV talent's takes, and even sent Stephen A. a private text message about it -- so Smith invited Owens on "First Take" to air it out.

The two were arguing alongside cohost Max Kellerman over the issue ... when Owens interrupted the discussion to say, "Max almost seems blacker than you, Stephen A."

SAS was FURIOUS about the comment -- calling a "timeout" and telling Owens he "crossed the line."

"Imma check you right now," Smith said. "You done crossed the line."

Eventually, Owens explained his comment by telling Smith, "You're taking it as disrespect. There's no disrespect ... it's tongue-in-cheek."

Doesn't seem Smith saw it that way ... 'cause he went on his ESPN Radio show later Thursday and said he wished he were on another network so he could curse about the whole incident.

Owens hasn't talked about the drama on social media yet ... but we're sure a tweet or IG post will be coming soon.

Bizarre scene at a Florida jailhouse Wednesday night ... NFL RB Mark Walton skipped and sprinted past a line of reporters after he bonded out -- all while making weird noises.

The former Miami Dolphins player had been locked behind bars in Broward County after he was accused of punching his pregnant girlfriend in the face and head on Tuesday.

But, Walton posted $10,000 bond ... and when he was confronted by media members outside the jail, his strange actions were all caught on video.

The 22-year-old danced, skipped, made high-pitch noises ... and then sprinted toward a car to take him away from the scene.

As we previously reported, Walton is accused of pushing the woman -- who's 5-weeks pregnant with his baby --- against a wall and punching her "several times" in the face and head at around 4:15 AM ET on Tuesday.

In a police report from the incident, cops say Walton found out about the pregnancy just two days before the alleged attack.

In 911 audio obtained by TMZ Sports, you can hear the woman sobbing over the incident ... telling dispatch, "My boyfriend beat me up!"

Walton has been charged with aggravated battery against a pregnant person -- a 2nd-degree felony which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. He's been ordered by a judge to have NO contact with the woman while he's out of jail.

For their part, the Dolphins almost immediately cut Walton after learning of the arrest, saying, "We hold our players to a high standard and take these matters very seriously."

Antonio Brown is countersuing the woman accusing him of rape -- claiming Britney Taylor is LYING and has "all but ruined Brown's career."

The NFL star filed documents Wednesday lashing back at Taylor who sued Brown back in September. In her suit, Taylor claims AB sexually assaulted her 3 different times ... including a violent rape in 2018.

31-year-old Brown has previously denied the allegations -- but now he's going after Taylor for defamation.

"In summary, after enduring a failed business endeavor and also failing to gain the relationship status she desired with Brown, Taylor began a vicious campaign of lies and deceit targeting Brown both personally and professionally," Brown's says in docs obtained by ESPN.

"Taylor's acts have all but ruined Brown's career, causing him to lose a number of substantial and lucrative business contracts, and impacting the public persona in such a manner as to cause Brown and his family significant personal and financial harm."

Brown has claimed Taylor -- a former gymnast -- only filed the suit to punish him for refusing to invest $1.6 million in a gymnastics "business project" back in 2017.

Taylor's attorney David Haas has issued a new statement in response to Brown's countersuit, saying, "Antonio Brown countersued the woman he raped and blamed her for the self-destructive conduct that led to the demise of his NFL career."

"In the past, Defendant Brown has used intimidation to avoid responsibility for his actions. However, Ms. Taylor will not be bullied and remains steadfast in holding Defendant Brown accountable."

Taylor and Brown met at Central Michigan, where they were both student athletes. After Brown went pro, both sides say Taylor worked for AB as a personal trainer. AB claims they DID have a sexual relationship but he's adamant it was consensual.

Taylor had filed her lawsuit AFTER the New England Patriots signed him to a $15 million contract and stuck with him for more than a week after. The team finally cut him after he sent menacing text messages to a different woman who had publicly accused him of sexual misconduct.

BEFORE the lawsuit was filed, the Oakland Raiders had released the WR after feuding with the team's general manager over fines.

Brown has been on a mission to get back in the NFL -- just this week, he publicly apologized to Patriots owner Robert Kraft after making light of his prostitution scandal.

Will his strategy work? Stay tuned ...

Montae Nicholson will play for the Washington Redskins on Sunday despite being a key figure in a police investigation into the death of a 21-year-old woman, the team says.

"As of right now, he is active," Redskins head coach Bill Callahan said Wednesday.

"He did play Sunday and right now he is on the active roster and is scheduled to play."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 23-year-old safety claims he's cooperating with authorities in the death of 21-year-old Julia Crabbe, who died of a suspected drug overdose Thursday morning.

Officials say Montae and another man dropped Julia off at a Virginia hospital in the middle of the night and then left the scene, despite the fact she appeared dead on arrival.

Investigators believe Crabbe had been at Montae's home before the OD -- so they got a search warrant and found marijuana, pills and "foil with residue" inside.

It's important to note cops have not said if the drugs belonged to (or were provided by) Nicholson -- and he has NOT been formally accused of any wrongdoing.

For his part, Montae claims he did NOT leave the hospital on the night in question -- and stuck around to help out until Crabbe's family arrived.

Nicholson suited up and played for the Redskins just 3 days after Crabbe's death -- and was on the field for 70 of the Redskins' 71 defensive snaps, recording 5 combined tackles.

The Redskins take on the Detroit Lions at home on Sunday in a game that's really meaningless for Washington, since they've only won 1 game this season and have virtually no shot at the playoffs.

Myles Garrett made sure he LOOKED GOOD when meeting with NFL officials in NYC to appeal his helmet attack suspension ... rockin' a pretty sweet blue suit and turtleneck combo!

Will the fashion statement help get his suspension reduced? Probably not ... but man, Garrett looked stylish as hell!

Of course, the Cleveland Browns star is begging for mercy from the NFL after officials suspended him for the remainder of the 2019 season for swinging a helmet at Steelers QB Mason Rudolph on Thursday.

Garrett believes the punishment is too harsh -- especially since other NFL helmet swingers got much lighter sentences in the past.

In fact, ESPN's Dan Graziano says Garrett referenced Antonio Smith when making his case -- pointing out Smith only got a 3-game suspension when he used a helmet to attack Richie Incognito during a game in 2013.

The other side of the argument ... Garrett has a history of dirty play in 2019 -- he punched Delanie Walker and got fined $50k and racked up 2 bad roughing the passer penalties, including a season-ending hit on Jets QB Trevor Siemian.

Mason Rudolph is admitting he shouldn't have tried ripping Myles Garrett's helmet off his head during last week's brawl ... but is adamant he didn't say anything to spark the attack.

The Steelers QB read a prepared statement at practice on Wednesday ... saying, “Thursday night, to say the least, it was an unfortunate situation for everyone involved."

“Looking back on the final play of the game, I fell short of the mark there too. I should have done a better job of keeping my cool in that situation."

As for the speculation he may have said something to put Garrett over the edge ... Rudolph claims he said nothing.

“Definitely didn’t say anything. I got to do a better job of keeping my composure in those situations.”

It's a big change of tune from Rudolph's comments last week when the QB called Garrett's actions "cowardly" and "bush league" ... despite trying to yank the Browns star's helmet off and appearing to kick him where it hurts.

Rudolph says he hopes to move past the situation and has no ill will towards Garrett.

Regarding punishment, Rudolph says he hasn't received a letter from the NFL ... while Garrett is meeting with the league today to appeal his indefinite suspension.

Le'Veon Bell is sick and tired of the NFL's "random" drug testing -- and says he refuses to cooperate anymore because he's sick of being poked with "those dirty ass needles."

"I done had 5 'random' HGH blood test in 10 weeks," the NY Jets running back posted on Twitter ... "I’m not doing another after today."

"Whatever y’all lookin for it obviously ain’t there & I’m not about to keep allowing y’all to stick me with those dirty ass needles."

He continued, "Find the players who really do that HGH BS & get off me."

Of course, Bell isn't the first high profile player to complain about the NFL's drug-testing policy ... back in 2018, Eric Reid said he was forced to undergo 7 "random" drug tests in just 3 months after signing with the Carolina Panthers.

For its part, the NFL insists the process is legit and fair and no specific players are targeted.

Here's ex-NFL player Mark Walton -- facing a judge Wednesday while in handcuffs -- and being ordered to stay away from the pregnant woman he allegedly attacked.

22-year-old Walton -- who was cut by the Miami Dolphins following Tuesday's arrest -- appeared in a Broward County Courtroom for his arraignment looking like a defeated person.

During the hearing, prosecutors not only listed the allegations against Walton -- that he beat up a woman who's 5 weeks pregnant with his child -- but also listed off his long criminal history .. and quite frankly, it was really sad.

Walton has been arrested a bunch of times for various reasons over the years ... from weed to DUI, to weapons charges and battery -- and while not everything has stuck, it's clear he's got problems.

Because of his rap sheet, the judge ultimately ordered Walton to stay away from the alleged victim -- no contact, no phone calls, texts, social media, etc.

He was also ordered to surrender ANY weapons he's got and must undergo a substance abuse evaluation along with any necessary follow up.

The judge also set Walton's bond at $10,000.

The Dolphins cut the former 2018 4th-round pick out of Miami shortly after learning of the incident, saying in a statement, "We hold our players to a high standard and take these matters very seriously."

Walton is currently serving a 4-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy stemming from 3 arrests that all went down earlier this year.

Investigators say they found pills, weed and "foil with residue" when they searched the home of Redskins safety Montae Nicholson in connection to the death of a 21-year-old woman.

It's all spelled out in the search warrant obtained by TMZ Sports, which does NOT identify who the drugs belonged to.

In other words, just because the items were found in Montae's home does not mean Montae provided them to the victim, Julia Crabbe.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Nicholson and another man brought the 21-year-old woman to a Virginia hospital late Wednesday night, where she ultimately died.

Officials believe the cause of death is a drug overdose.

Montae's reps and the Washington Redskins have both said Montae is cooperating with law enforcement.

We're told Montae has NOT been named a suspect and has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing.

However, Crabbe's mother spoke with local news and said she believes Montae "could have done more" to save her daughter.

Cops say they're still actively investigating the death.

Story developing ...

The Miami Dolphins cut running back Mark Walton on Tuesday after the NFL player was arrested for allegedly attacking a woman pregnant with his child, officials say.

The 22-year-old player was busted in Davie, Florida -- near Ft. Lauderdale -- after cops say he pushed the woman against the wall Tuesday around 4:15 AM and punched her several times in the face and head.

Cops say the woman is 5 weeks pregnant with Walton's child -- and note that Walton was made aware of the pregnancy on 11/17.

According to the police report, the responding officer claims the woman had swelling on her left eye.

Walton was booked for aggravated battery against a pregnant person -- a 2nd-degree felony which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

The Dolphins immediately cut Walton when they learned about the allegations -- with GM Chris Grier saying, "We hold our players to a high standard and take these matters very seriously. We will have no further comment at this time."

Walton is currently serving a 4-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy stemming from 3 arrests that all went down earlier this year.

In fact, TMZ Sports obtained video from a March 12 incident showing cops using a taser to subdue Walton following a high-speed chase in a rented BMW.

Cops say Walton -- a 4th round draft pick out of the Univ. of Miami -- was speeding and weaving through traffic in the Miami area when he came to an abrupt stop in the front yard of somebody's home.

Rob Gronkowski ain't coming back to the New England Patriots this season ... but he says he might just rejoin Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in 2020!!

"I still stay fit, still watch the game whenever I can, still enjoy it," Gronk said. "I'm feeling good, but you know, one year off could possibly be the case."

Gronk officially ruled out a return to Foxborough this season with the announcement that he'll be hosting a festival in Miami during Super Bowl weekend instead of training for it.

But, when the 30-year-old superstar spoke with ESPN about the party plans Tuesday ... he left the door wide open for a Patriots return either next year or even in 2021.

"It's always an option in the back of my head," Gronkowski said. "It's not like I'm not staying in shape and not doing anything. I'm never stressed over it."

It's a bit of good news, bad news for the Patriots ... 'cause their offense has REALLY struggled over the past couple weeks and they definitely could use Gronk ASAP.

In fact, Gronk even joked about their issues, saying, "Man, they're missing some guy who is 6'6", 260 [pounds]. They're missing that guy, for sure."

But, if the future Hall of Fame tight end does return next year ... it could help the team keep Brady -- who's a free agent after this season -- for one more year.