NFL

How's this for embarrassing -- 2 NFL players racked up a $10,000 bill at a Hollywood nightclub ... only to have their credit cards DECLINED, this according to a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports.

Player #1 is Detroit Lions defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson -- a 2nd round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft who signed a 4-year $5.2 million contract.

Player #2 is Tampa Bay Bucs lineman Caleb Benenoch -- a 5th round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft who signed a 4-year $2.59 million contract.

According to court docs filed in L.A., the guys invited Richard Harrington to Hyde nightclub on the Sunset Strip back in March and ran up a $9,332 bill.

But when it came time to pay, Harrington claims the players' credit cards were BOTH declined.

Instead, they asked Harrington to foot the bill -- which he did -- and they promised to pay him back. Harrington claims they each sent him $2,000 but that didn't cover everything.

He's still out $5,332 ... and is now suing them to get the money because he says they refuse to pay it back.

How does Chargers star Melvin Ingram get in beast mode before games?

By bumpin' "SupaMel" ... AKA Melvin Ingram!!

We got the stud DE (and emcee) heading into a listening party in L.A. for his new mixtape "Reap What You Sow" with Bizzy Crook ... and asked Melvin if his own tracks make his pregame playlist.

His response? HELL YEAH ... cause he spits "real rap" unlike other pro athletes that get on the mic. Ingram told us all his tracks are fire ... but he did pick a favorite for getting pumped.

Dude's repped by Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports -- so don't sleep on SupaMel.

A powerful U.S. congressmen is calling out NFL owners on behalf of Colin Kaepernick -- he clearly feels the QB is being punished for speaking his conscience ... and "it's unfair."

TMZ Sports spoke with Cedric Richmond -- a democrat from Louisiana who's also the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. He's also a big football fan.

So, when we asked how he felt about Kaepernick still being unemployed -- the congressman didn't hold back.

"I think it's unfair. I think that he has a lot of talent. He was the starting QB in the Super Bowl and he's a great athlete. And the fact that he spoke up means he's a great person and he spoke his conscience."

"I don't think we should penalize people in this country for doing that."

He continued, "As I look around the NFL at some backup quarterbacks, it's clear that his talent is superior to a lot of people who are on teams already."

"I would hope that people would give him a chance and sign him and see what he has to offer."

Richmond concludes, "We should not penalize somebody for exercising their 1st amendment right."

More drama for Dante Fowler ... who dropped a bombshell on cops during a traffic stop earlier this month -- someone stole my car!

The Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end was pulled over for speeding in St. Petersburg, FL on July 15 -- and during the stop, he was trying to explain why he didn't have proof of registration in his car at the time.

Dante: "I just got my car back because it got stolen. So, I don't know where all my stuff is."

Cop: "This car was stolen?"

Dante: "Yes, I just got it back yesterday."

Cop: "You have the keys in it or what? How'd you get it stolen?"

Dante: "Oh yeah, I left the keys in it."

The cop went back to his cruiser to run Fowler's information. Apparently, it checked out because he let the NFL player go with a speeding ticket and a citation for failing to show registration.

No word on who stole the car or if there's been an arrest in that case. We're working on it.

Now, THIS is how you make an entrance!

Here's NFL superstar Antonio Brown arriving at Steelers training camp Thursday in the most boss way possible -- in a classic 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom ... with a freakin' personal chauffeur!!

A.B.'s shown up in a R.R. every year he's been in the league -- and even had one as a guest at his birthday party earlier this month -- but this one's gotta take the cake.

Brown wasn't the only Steeler arriving in style ... James Harrison made his entrance with a fire truck!!

Business is most definitely boomin'.

Lucky Whitehead's unemployment didn't last very long -- the WR's been claimed by the NY Jets after the Cowboys fired him.

Whitehead was waived by Dallas on Monday after police said he was arrested for shoplifting back in June. Cops later admitted the man they popped was NOT Lucky, but rather an imposter.

Still, the Cowboys refused to back down and said they were done with Whitehead.

Lucky hit the waiver wire and according to Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, the Jets pulled the trigger.

On Tuesday, Jacksonville Jaguars star Dante Fowler pled not guilty to attacking a man in a brutal parking lot incident.

On Wednesday Fowler was apologizing for the incident and saying it won't happen again.

As we previously reported, the 2015 1st round pick was arrested on July 18 in Florida for allegedly punching a man in the face during an altercation in the parking lot of an apartment complex.

He was charged with battery and criminal mischief -- but later pled not guilty to the charges.

Fast-forward to Wednesday, when Fowler took the stage at a Jaguars media event and apologized to the team, the fans and the city of Jacksonville for "for my actions, for what happened, what went down."

He added, "I just wanna let people know and everybody know that's not me as a person. I'm a better person than that, and it won't happen again."

It's 89 degrees in Miami ... which means MORE HOT CHICKS IN BIKINIS!

Here's Camille Kostek -- ex-New England Patriots cheerleader and possible Rob Gronkowski GF -- struttin' around the beach in a butt baring bikini.

Kostek is currently vying for a coveted spot in the upcoming Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and seems to be a front-runner ... at least, judging by the positive response on social media.

It's clear Camille's feeling herself these days -- check out the bathroom video she posted.

Swag.

One less problem for the Dallas Cowboys ...

Rookie cornerback Jourdan Lewis was just found not guilty of attacking his then-girlfriend after a 2-day domestic violence trial.

The 3rd round draft pick had been charged with domestic violence after allegedly roughing up his then-girlfriend at their apartment in Ann Arbor on March 15.

Lewis' girlfriend told cops that the U of M cornerback threw pillows at her during a fight about the electricity bill and then locked himself in a closet for a while.

She said he then dragged her across the living room floor and grabbed her by the throat.

Lewis told cops she had been hitting him in the face, so he picked her up by the shoulders to try to get out of the room.

The case went to trial and a jury found him not guilty. After court, Lewis told the media, "I'm elated."

Lewis' attorney John Shea says, "It’s always gratifying to represent someone that you believe in and have the jury tell me I’m right."

"We’re just happy it came out the way it did. He’s letting it sink in. He’s been under this cloud for awhile and he’ll need some time to put it behind him but this is a good first start."

Jason Garrett says the Cowboys are standing by their decision to cut Lucky Whitehead ... despite cops in Virginia admitting they incorrectly arrested the wrong guy for shoplifting in June.

Garrett addressed the Whitehead drama at training camp on Tuesday ... saying the team has no intention of bringing the kick return specialist back.

"In evaluating the particular situation, and the context of that situation, we felt like we made a decision in regards to Lucky that was right for our team. And we stand by that decision."

Garrett initially pulled a Marshawn Lynch and repeated the same answer to every Lucky-related question, saying "We made a decision that we thought was in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys. We stand by it and we're moving on."

Lucky Whitehead says he isn't ruling out a lawsuit after he was wrongly identified by police in a shoplifting arrest ... but it's unclear if his target will be the cops or the Cowboys.

The NFL receiver spoke with KDFW4 in Dallas about last crazy 24 hours in his life -- in which he was cut by the Cowboys after cops incorrectly said he was arrested for shoplifting on June 22.

Officials later determined the arrestee was NOT Whitehead, but rather an imposter -- but Dallas had already sent Lucky to the chopping block.

Whitehead is now venting about the situation, saying he was "blindsided," and was clearly upset because "nobody had my back."

When asked if he was considering legal action, Whitehead replied, "Somebody need to" -- and then said he would be talking with his agent about how to proceed.

The police officers who thought they arrested Lucky Whitehead -- when in reality they arrested an imposter -- will not be suspended for the mistake ... officials tell TMZ Sports.

We spoke with Prince William PD's Sgt. Perok, who believes the officers acted reasonably on June 22 when they identified the man who allegedly shoplifted from a convenience store as "Rodney Darnell Whitehead, Jr."

Officers say the man did not have an official I.D. on him so they asked for his name, birthday and social security number -- ran that information through the DMV system and matched the suspect up with the photo of Lucky Whitehead on file.

Sgt. Perok says despite the mistaken identity, "The officers' actions were reasonable and they acted in good faith."

We're also told there will not be an internal investigation.

Lucky Whitehead was telling the TRUTH -- he was not the man arrested for shoplifting on June 22, this according to Prince William County officials who say the REAL perp was an imposter.

We spoke with Commonwealth's attorney, Paul Ebert, who says the case against ex-Dallas Cowboys WR Lucky Whitehead has been dropped after an internal investigation into the arrest.

Long story short ... Ebert says the man was only "verbally identified" by the arresting officer at the crime scene. The arrestee did not have I.D. on him.

The man told cops he was Lucky Whitehead and gave them Lucky's information, including birthday and social security number, Ebert says.

The officers ran the information through the DMV system and believed the man they had arrested matched the photo of "Lucky Whitehead" that was on file.

After Lucky publicly declared his innocence, claiming he wasn't even in the state of Virgnia at the time of the arrest, officers went back and reviewed surveillance video at the convenience store. Footage showed the suspect was NOT Lucky Whitehead.

Cops are now on the hunt for the man in the video.

Lucky's agent, Dave Rich, tells TMZ Sports, "Lucky is thrilled justice was served and his name was cleared. It's a shame that he came into town to do a camp for kids and he ended up getting cut by his professional football team."

The Prince William County Police Dept. has also issued a statement:

"Upon reviewing the June 22, 2017 arrest of an individual named 'Rodney Darnell Whitehead, Jr.', the police department is confident that the man charged with petit larceny, and who is subsequently being sought on an active warrant for failure to appear in court, is not Lucky Whitehead of the Dallas Cowboys."

"The man charged on the morning of June 22 was not in possession of identification at the time of the encounter; however, did verbally provide identifying information to officers, which included a name, date of birth, and social security number matching that of Rodney Darnell Whitehead, Jr."

"Officers then checked this information through the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) database. The DMV photo on file was then used to compare to the man who was in custody."

"Officers acted in good faith that, at the time, the man in custody was the same man matching the information provided. At this point, the police department is also confident in confirming that Mr. Whitehead’s identify was falsely provided to police during the investigation."

"The police department is currently seeking the identity of the man involved in the incident. Since the identifying information provided by the arrestee during the investigation was apparently false, the police department is working with the Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office to clear Mr. Whitehead from this investigation."

"The police department regrets the impact these events had on Mr. Whitehead and his family."

Chicago Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman says he nearly BROKE A MAN'S RIBS while giving him the Heimlich in an Austin airport ... but says he quick action saved the dude's life.

Freeman was on his way to the Bears training camp when he saw a guy choking on brisket at an airport restaurant and immediately snapped into action.

"I tried to squeeze the life out of him and bring him back," Freeman tells TMZ Sports.

At one point the man told Jerrell he thought he may have cracked a rib, to which Freeman responded -- "It's either one of your ribs or your life man! Gotta take one, leave the other one!"

In the end, Freeman says he successfully dislodged the food from the man's throat and the guy praised him as a hero and thanked him for saving his life.

Then he went back to eating his brisket.

Seriously!

It's over for Lucky Whitehead in Dallas.

The Cowboys just confirmed the WR has been cut by the team after cops in Virginia claimed he was arrested for shoplifting back in June. Officials say he then missed a July court date and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

But get this, despite official court records with his name and birthdate -- and confirmation from the Prince William County Police Dept. of an arrest of a 25-year-old Rodney Whitehead Jr. -- Whitehead's rep says his client was NOT actually arrested that day because he was not in town.

We spoke with agent Dave Rich, who says Whitehead did not fly into Virginia until 6 hours after the reported time of arrest, information first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is clearly pissed off about Lucky Whitehead's shoplifting arrest -- and isn't ruling out cutting the WR from the team.

After TMZ Sports broke the story, Garrett faced the media after Day 1 of Cowboys training camp and was immediately asked about Whitehead's standing with the team.

"We’re gathering information on it," Garrett said ... "We’ll respond accordingly."

When asked if firing Whitehead was a possibility, Garrett said -- "Oh, absolutely."

"Depending on what the situation is, we’re gonna respond accordingly. Do what’s in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys."

Whitehead was arrested in June for allegedly stealing under $200 in stuff from a Virginia convenience store. To make things worse, a warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to appear in court on July 6.

Whitehead was asked about the situation after practice -- and said he had no idea what was going on.