NFL

Darren Sproles says he deserves a bronze bust in Canton someday ... straight-up telling TMZ Sports he's a Hall of Famer.

"I feel like I am," Sproles says. "But it's not for me to choose."

FYI ... Sproles' ex-teammate and All-Pro OL Brandon Brooks couldn't have agreed more with the former Eagles RB while the two were out in LA this week, saying, "Bro, there is no doubt."

Sproles has a solid case ... the 36-year-old played in the NFL for 14 years and is considered one the best utility backs that's ever touched the gridiron.

The 5-foot-6, 190-pound NFLer rushed for 3,552 yards in his career, added 4,840 more receiving yards and piled up more than 10,000 punt and kick return yards as well.

It's unclear if he'll ever get in -- the Hall doesn't have too many util guys in it -- but Darren is eligible for the honor starting in 2025, having retired after this past season.

John Ross' NFL combine record is in serious trouble this week ... 'cause Alabama star receiver Henry Ruggs WILL run a 4.20 40-yard dash in Indy -- so says his Tide teammate.

"Somewhere around that range," Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs tells TMZ Sports. "That kid's fast!"

Of course, Ross currently holds the mark for quickest 40 time ever at the NFL's marquee pre-draft event ... logging a 4.22 back in 2017.

But Ruggs has a legit shot of breaking that mark when receivers run this week ... because during his time at 'Bama -- he FLEW by defenders on a regular basis.

"Ruggs is real fast," Diggs tells us. "He's going to run a real, real, real good time."

As for how that pure speed will translate to the NFL ... Diggs says he has no doubts the guy will be a stud -- saying his skill level is right on par with Tide superstar Jerry Jeudy's.

"He got good routes, he's fast, he's a playmaker as well," Diggs says. "Like, you get the ball in his hands, like, no one is going to catch him. Like, nobody."

Miami Dolphins star DeVante Parker is a Cardinal for LIFE ... don't believe it?? Just check out his insane new Louisville-inspired diamond chain!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 27-year-old wanted to go all out on a tribute for his alma mater, the University of Louisville, so he hit up Gabriel the Jeweler to make an iced-out pendant of his school's logo!!

We're told the piece is decked out in emerald-cut diamonds on the border, diamonds to make the Cardinal in the middle, and a pink diamond for the eye!!

In total, we're told there are 60 carats of diamonds.

Of course, Parker was an absolute beast at U of L -- he was first-team all-AAC in 2013 and second-team in 2014 ... before going on to get picked 14th overall in the 2015 draft.

FYI -- Gabriel is the go-to jeweler for some of the biggest names in the NFL -- from Odell Beckham to Jarvis Landry to Antonio Brown.

Cedric Benson's longtime home in Austin -- which he completely rebuilt from the ground up -- is hitting the market ... and it's got a $4.5 million price tag.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Benson bought the Texas pad back in 2006 and worked passionately to turn it into his dream home.

The finished product is amazing -- it's got 6 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, pool and spa, personal gym ... and it's all sitting on top of a hill overlooking downtown Austin.

We're told it took 2 years to completely rebuild the house ... and Benson was involved in every detail of the house.

The crib is looking for a new owner who will love the place as much as the former NFL star did ... and it's currently listed for $4.5 million.

The biggest names in the NFL's rookie class -- from Joe Burrow to CeeDee Lamb -- are getting ready for their big day in the most baller way possible ... by going all-out on some JEWELRY!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... LSU superstars Burrow, and Patrick Queen, Oklahoma's Lamb and Jerry Jeudy and South Carolina's Javon Kinlaw -- who are all potential first-round picks -- got their ice fix from Leo Frost in Houston ... before taking the stage at the Draft on April 23.

Here's a breakdown of the haul ...

The Heisman winner and national champ copped a #9 pendant in 18k white gold with VVS diamonds, which is worth $10k.

Even better for Burrow ... he didn't pay for the jewelry!! The bling was a gift from Baton Rouge, Louisiana born rapper Boosie -- a huge LSU fan.

Burrow's teammate, Queen, bagged a "Level Up" VS1 diamond pendant in 14k yellow and white gold, worth $45k.

Jeudy went ALL OUT with two-tone yellow and white gold 'JJ4' and 'JEW' pendants with VS diamonds on 14k yellow VS gold diamond Cuban chains, worth $100k total. On top of that, Jeudy also got an 18K yellow gold Audemars Piguet, fully flooded with VS2 diamonds!!

Kinlaw copped a Jesus piece with chocolate brown diamonds on a two-row VS diamond tennis chain, worth $45k.

Last, but def not least, Lamb went with a '32' pendant made with two-tone 14k yellow and white gold on VS diamond Cuban chains, worth $90k!

Is Dez Bryant a future Kansas City Chief?!?!!

Seems like it could be a possibility ... 'cause the former All-Pro wide out ran routes for Patrick Mahomes on Friday -- and there seems to be chemistry there!!!

Of course, Dez hasn't played a down in the NFL since 2017 ... but he's been working like a mad man to get back, even telling TMZ Sports this month he's "for damn sure" returning to the league soon.

And, we gotta say ... in the clips of Dez and Mahomes, the former Dallas Cowboy superstar still looks like he has hit!!

Check out how he high points the ball and turns upfield in one of the clips ... sure looks a lot like 2014, right???

It's unclear why the Super Bowl MVP decided to link up with Dez for the workout ... but Mahomes is from the Tyler, Texas area -- so it coulda been just two elite athletes getting some run in.

Then again, maybe Andy Reid put his quarterback up to it to report back to Chiefs kingdom?!?!

Victor Cruz tells TMZ Sports ... Roger Goodell needs to shut down the idea of a 17-game season ASAP, saying, "We don't need any more games!"

"We got enough!" Cruz says. "16 is enough!"

Of course, a big part of the league's new collective bargaining agreement could, in fact, include a 17-game schedule ... because owners believe it'll bring in a TON of cash.

But, when we got Cruz -- a former New York Giants superstar -- out in NYC on Thursday ... he told us it's not a great idea for the players to go along with that plan.

"I just don't want them adding any more games," Cruz tells us. "These players, there's enough wear and tear on their bodies. We don't need any more games."

Cruz says he DOES like one of the owners' new proposals, however ... saying the idea of expanding playoffs from 12 teams to 14 is a GREAT move.

"That I'm not mad at because there's a lot of teams that go 10-6 and if they don't win the division, they might not make the playoffs or get that wildcard spot."

The woman who stabbed (and almost killed) NFL star Terrelle Pryor back in Nov. just caught a HUGE break -- a judge has thrown out the attempted murder charge against her.

Remember, officials say 24-year-old Shalaya Briston plunged a kitchen knife into Pryor's chest area TWICE during an altercation at their Pittsburgh area home on Nov. 30.

Pryor claims he lost around 3.5 liters of blood and was within minutes of dying -- but thankfully, doctors were able to save him during an emergency operation.

Briston was initially charged with felony attempted homicide and felony assault -- and was facing DECADES in prison.

But Thursday, a Pennsylvania judge dismissed the more serious charge against Briston -- attempted homicide.

Unclear exactly why ... but remember, Briston's attorneys have claimed she was defending herself when she stabbed Pryor. Plus, Pryor himself has been publicly asking for mercy on her.

Briston is definitely NOT out of the woods -- the felony assault charge will move forward and that carries up to 20 years in prison (though it's unlikely she'll get anywhere close to that).

Pryor is also facing a misdemeanor simple assault charge for his role -- though that carries a much lighter sentence if convicted.

As we previously reported ... Pryor required 30 stitches in his chest and shoulder area from the attack. His attorney has said Briston's self-defense argument is BS, claiming "it was attempted murder."

The two had been dating for about a year at the time of the incident.

Cleveland Browns lineman Greg Robinson -- the #2 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft -- is in custody after officials say he was found with A LOT of marijuana at a border patrol checkpoint.

We're told Robinson was stopped on Monday at the Sierra Blanca border checkpoint near the U.S., Mexico border. We're still working on the details surrounding the arrest.

Jail records show Robinson is still in custody and we're told he's facing a federal charge of possession with intent to distribute.

27-year-old Robinson was an absolute stud back in his college days -- making 1st Team All-SEC during his 2013 season at Auburn.

The NFL scouts drooled over Robinson -- he's 6'5", 332 pounds -- and when the Rams took him with the #2 pick in 2014, they signed him to a fully guaranteed 4-year $21 million contract.

The bad news for the Rams ... he didn't live up to the hype so they traded him to the Detroit Lions for a 6th round pick in 2017. The Browns signed Robinson in 2018 and re-signed him in 2019.

Sources tell us the Browns recently informed Robinson they would not be bringing him back for the 2020 season.

Robinson has reportedly made more than $29 million in contract money during his NFL career.

We reached out to Robinson's rep and the Cleveland Browns -- so far, no comment from either.

THIS IS SOOOOOOOO GROSS/AWESOME!!!

Baltimore Ravens starting OL Bradley Bozeman ate 4.5 POUNDS of steak -- PLUS FIXINGS -- at dinner Wednesday night ... and the dude hardly broke a sweat!!!

The epic meal went down in Amarillo, Texas at "The Big Texan Steak Ranch" ... where Lamar Jackson's personal protector decided to take on the restaurant's famous food challenge.

Here's the deal ... ya gotta kill a 72-ounce steak, a shrimp cocktail, a baked potato, a salad and a roll with butter in under 1 hour -- and winners get a FREE T-SHIRT (plus, the meal is free and you get your name on the wall).

Bozeman -- a 6'5", 317-pound NFL stud -- happily accepted the challenge ... and you can see in video of him chowing down, he CRUSHED it!!!

The 25-year-old finished every last bite, with more than 10 minutes to spare ... and afterward, he didn't look any worse for wear at all!!

Of course, when we spoke with Bozeman hours after the meal ... he wasn't feelin' all that hot about it, telling us, "That was definitely the hardest thing I've ever had to eat."

By the way, the reason Bozeman was in the North Texas town was pretty cool ... he and his wife, Nikki, had just finished a successful stop on their country-wide tour of schools to speak to kids about the dangers of bullying.

Up next for the Bozemans is a speaking engagement at a school in Albuquerque, N.M. ... but Bozeman says there's absolutely NO CHANCE he has another steak there.

Antonio Brown's got lightning-fast reflexes ... but even that wasn't enough to keep him from getting hit in the head by an errant piece of gym equipment.

The out-of-work NFL star appeared to be working out at his 84/7 training facility in Florida -- pushing big weight on the bench press -- when another piece of gym equipment got loose and crashed down on his head.

It's unclear why the workout machine got loose -- but don't worry, AB didn't appear to be injured.

Just a reminder ... be careful in the gym!!

As for his career, Brown has been training like a maniac and recently told TMZ Sports he plans on meeting with team reps at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis when that event kicks off this weekend.

Of course, Brown has a LOT going on off the field that could prevent teams from pulling the trigger -- including an ongoing battery case, allegations of sexual assault, baby mama issues and a very nasty beef with the Hollywood Police Dept.

We know he can play ... but will a team look past everything else to get him on the field?

Ex-Dallas Cowboys star Darren McFadden will be spending time behind bars ... TMZ Sports has learned the former running back just pled guilty in his drunken Whataburger case.

We broke the story ... back in January 2019, cops say McFadden was asleep at the wheel of his 2019 GMC Yukon in the drive-thru of a Whataburger in Texas.

Officials say after officers confronted him, McFadden resisted ... and in the scuffle, Darren's driver's side and passenger windows were smashed in.

Authorities eventually hit McFadden with charges of resisting arrest and DWI with a BAC of greater than or equal to .15 ... but we've learned the 32-year-old reached a plea deal last week to close out the case.

According to court records, McFadden pled guilty to drunk driving ... and in exchange, his resisting arrest charge was dismissed.

As for his punishment in the deal with prosecutors ... court docs show he's been ordered to spend 4 days in jail, although he did receive credit for 1 day of time served.

McFadden was also forced to pay fines and fees as part of the agreement ... and his driver's license will be suspended for 90 days.

We reached out to McFadden's attorney, who confirmed the case's disposition ... but declined to comment otherwise.

McFadden was a superstar at Arkansas before he was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Ninja -- the most famous pro gamer in the world -- is sick and tired of people treating his sport like it's a joke ... and he's invoking the names of LeBron and Tom Brady to make his point.

The 28-year-old Fortnite legend went on a passionate rant while streaming on Wednesday -- saying he's fed up with people telling him to tone down his competitiveness with comments like, "It's just a video game."

Ninja HATES that phrase -- explaining how EVERY top competitor in any field should HATE to lose no matter what sport they're in.

In his words ... "If anyone ever uses the excuse 'It's just a game' I'm gonna lose my mind."

"Imagine telling LeBron James, Tom Brady that when they're pissed off after losing a game that it's just a game. Like I'm gonna lose it. Are you kidding me?! You're so stupid!!!"

"It’s the competitive nature, bro. It’s about respect, bro. It’s about pride. It’s so much bigger than a f**king video game. Anybody that ever uses the excuse 'It’s just a game' is a horrible human being and is lazy. You’re a lazy human being."

Earlier in the week, Ninja had tweeted about his mindset -- saying, "The phrase 'it’s just a game' is such a weak mindset. You are ok with what happened, losing, imperfection of a craft. When you stop getting angry after losing, you’ve lost twice."

"There’s always something to learn, and always room for improvement, never settle."

People went after him HARD on social media -- but Ninja ain't backing down ... which is why he went on the rant during his stream on Wednesday.

Also, with Fortnite Season 2 about to drop this week, he's clearly getting his mind right to destroy everyone.

Kyle Long says now that his playing days are over ... he's ready to be an NFL commentator -- and he tells TMZ Sports he thinks he can be like Tony Romo for football "simpletons!"

"I think I can speak more Layman's terms," Long says. "He's really an AP-level teacher."

Don't get it twisted ... Long's actually complimenting Romo -- saying the ex-Dallas Cowboys QB is way smarter than him!!

But Kyle, who just retired from the Chicago Bears last month and is out in L.A. this week trying out with various networks, says he's hoping his offensive line mind can provide a different perspective in the studio/booth.

"I speak to the simpletons," Long said with a laugh.

Of course, Kyle is one of the most entertaining follows on Twitter ... so there's a lot of potential there -- and Long says he's actually been learning a thing or two by watching Tony!

What's interesting ... his dad Howie Long has been doing the "NFL on FOX" thing for years -- and if another network signs Kyle, it could be Long vs. Long in the battle for NFL ratings!

As for his resume, NOT TOO SHABBY -- Kyle was a 1st round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and spent his entire 6-year career with the Chicago Bears, making the Pro Bowl 3 times.

"My friend found me in a puddle of blood."

Hayden Hurst -- a 2018 1st-round pick -- says his battle with depression and anxiety got so bad ... he blacked out and cut his wrist in an apparent attempt to kill himself in college.

"I woke up in the hospital," the Baltimore Ravens tight end told First Coast News in Florida this week. "I didn't know what happened. I had to have a friend fill me in."

"Apparently, I had been drinking and went into my apartment and cut my wrist. My friend found me in a puddle of blood. He called 911."

26-year-old Hurst -- who had just joined the University of South Carolina football team at the time -- said the episode was a wake up call for him to seek help for his anxiety issues.

"What happened?" Hurst said he asked himself from the hospital bed at the time. "What are you doing?"

Hayden -- who says he's battled mental health issues for years -- got the help he needed ... and now he says he wants to use his platform as an NFL player to help people in similar situations get assistance.

"For some reason, people equate mental illness with having to be ashamed," Hurst says ... "I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of. Everybody goes through something."

The 6'4", 245-pound tight end admits he still has his struggles, saying he's "not this superhero that's portrayed on TV" ... but he says he's determined to help people regardless.

"If my story is going to change the narrative on this and people are going to talk about it more, then so be it."

It's a beautiful day for Who Dat Nation -- Drew Brees just announced he's NOT retiring and will return to the New Orleans Saints in 2020.

There have been talks all offseason about the 41-year-old hanging up his helmet for good ... with reports Brees was "undecided" about coming back this year.

In fact, we spoke with Saints head coach Sean Payton and Saints legend Willie Roaf a few weeks ago ... and they adamantly denied Brees was ready to retire.

Now, we're hearing straight from the Super Bowl-winning QB's mouth -- he's comin' back!! ... and he's using a beautiful shot from his trip to Hawaii to express how he feels.

"My feelings about the 2020 season!," Brees' IG caption reads. "I look forward to the grind and the journey, for the reward at the end will be worth it!!! Love you #WhoDatNation. Let’s make another run at it!"

As Payton says, Brees ain't close to slowing down -- he threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 27 TDs in just 11 games in 2019.