NFL

Ezekiel Elliott beat up his girlfriend 3 times in the same week ... and there are photos that prove it ... this according to the NFL. Elliott is facing a 6 game suspension with these charges.

The league laid out its case against Elliott in a letter to the Dallas Cowboys running back detailing a week of violence and terror against Tiffany Thompson that began on July 17, 2016.

INCIDENT #1

On July 17, the NFL says Elliott attacked Thompson at the Canvasback Lane apartments in Columbus, Ohio.

"You used physical force that caused injuries to Ms. Thompson's arms, neck and shoulders."

INCIDENT #2

On July 19, the NFL says there was another altercation at the Canvasback Lane apartments.

"You used physical force that caused injuries to Ms. Thompson's face, arms, wrists and hands."

INCIDENT #3

On July 21, the NFL says there was a 3rd incident at the Canvasback Lane apartments.

"You used physical force that caused injuries to Ms. Thompson's face, neck, arms knee and hips."

The league says it went to prosecutors to find out why Elliott was not charged with a crime. The NFL was told, "We never concluded that she was lying to us ... we generally believed her for all of the incidents."

Prosecutors had previously said there was "conflicting and inconsistent information across all incidents, resulting in concern regarding the sufficiency of the evidence to support the filing of criminal charges."

The standard for prosecution is much higher than the standard for the NFL to mete out discipline.

Ezekiel Elliott has been suspended for 6 games following the NFL's yearlong domestic violence investigation into the Dallas Cowboys star, the league confirms.

The league says the investigation found "substantial and persuasive evidence" that Zeke engaged in physical violence against the accuser.

The league also told Elliott if he violates league policy ever again he could possibly be BANNED from the NFL for life.

Zeke was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend 5 different times in 6 days back in July 2016.

Cops investigated the allegations but decided there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute.

The NFL conducted its own investigation and apparently felt there was enough evidence to suspend him.

The NFL issued a statement saying, "Over the course of the last year, the league conducted an extensive investigation. League investigators interviewed more than a dozen witnesses, including Ms. Tiffany Thompson, who had alleged multiple instances of physical violence in July 2016, and Mr. Elliott."

"The league also consulted with medical experts. League investigators examined all available evidence, including photographic and digital evidence, thousands of text messages and other records of electronic communications."

The NFL says Roger Goodell consulted with 4 external advisors before deciding punishment.

Elliott denied any wrongdoing -- but the accuser has maintained he attacked her. In fact, she put up a statement last month doubling down on the allegations against Zeke and saying people like her need to speak up and stop domestic violence.

Elliott's made headlines for all the wrong reasons this offseason -- he was caught exposing a woman's bare breast at a St. Patrick's Day parade and was accused of attacking a man in a Dallas bar in July.

Adam Schefter says the NFL factored in the St. Patrick's Day incident when meting out punishment.

Zeke wasn't arrested or charged with any crime for either incident ... but it's been reported the league would take these incidents into consideration when determining his punishment.

The news will undoubtedly come as a shock to Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, who just told us THIS WEEK that Zeke would NOT be suspended.

If Mitch Trubisky isn't the Chicago Bears starting QB in Week 1, "You've got problems" -- so says Bears legend Mike Ditka.

To say Da Coach was impressed with the rookie's preseason debut Thursday night is a gross understatement ... Ditka believes it's TRUB OR CONSEQUENCES!

"What I saw out of Trubiksy for a rookie in his first game I thought was outstanding."

Trub -- the #2 pick in the draft -- went 18-25 for 166 yards and a TD after replacing starting QB Mike Glennon who went 2-8 for 20 yards and an interception.

Ditka thinks the decision is obvious ... and says Mitch made a better first impression than guys like Tom Brady and Fran Tarkenton.

Taylor Swift took the stand to testify this week in her butt groping trial -- but from the way she was drawn in court sketches ... you'd never know it was her.

Sketches show Taylor in what appears to be a floral top, under an updo with loose curls ... keyword here is appears.

Point is ... the sketch is pretty bad, and not very flattering. The guy she's accusing of literally latching on to her ass, David Mueller, got a more neutral side profile sketch ... where he was seen with a hand over his face as Taylor testified.

Still ... neither are as bad as the infamous Tom Brady sketch that was drawn during his Deflategate hearing. The jury definitely ain't out on that one.

Chuck D tells TMZ Sports ... if fans upset with the Colin Kaepernick situation REALLY wanna send a message to the NFL, the best way to do it is with a full, serious boycott.

"Don't go to the sports bars. Don't turn the game on. Leave your team for a year."

The Public Enemy legend says it's a bunch of crap that Kaep hasn't been signed to a team -- claiming his accomplishments on the field speak for themselves.

Chuck says he thinks it'll be tough for protesting fans to really make a difference -- but if you are gonna protest, go all the way.

Here he is ... the man cops say impersonated NFL wide receiver, Lucky Whitehead, during a shoplifting arrest back in June. Can you see the resemblance?

Neither can we.

Cops are now on the hunt for Deyvon Newman -- who allegedly stole $40 worth of stuff from a convenient store in Virginia on June 22. When police arrived, the man had no I.D. card but claimed to be Whitehead. He gave cops Lucky's date of birth and social security number.

Cops pulled up Whitehead's DMV photo and decided they had the right guy -- despite the fact Newman has tattoos on his neck and face ... and the real Lucky does not.

Also, they don't look alike!!

We're told a warrant has been issued for Newman's arrest -- and Paul Ebert from Prince William Commonwealth's Attorney's Office says he'll be charged with larceny, giving false info to a cop and identity theft once he's been caught.

As for the REAL Lucky Whitehead -- he was cut by the Dallas Cowboys after cops mistakenly said Whitehead had been arrested. He was eventually signed by the NY Jets and is fighting for a job at training camp.

Here's video to prove you never had a chance to be in the NFL (despite what your dad says) ... Jaguars player A.J. Bouye jumping 5 FREAKIN' FEET like it's nothing.

A.J.'s apparently been a camp standout for the Jags so far, and we can see why -- with the freak athleticism the dude displayed while working out with famed athletic trainer, David Alexander.

Alexander is known in Florida for training guys like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Victor Oladipo, but we gotta wonder if any of those guys can get up like this.

Jerry Jones tells TMZ Sports he does not believe Ezekiel Elliott will miss a single game for an alleged domestic violence investigation.

The Dallas Cowboys owner was leaving Gucci in Bev Hills (got money, spend it right?) when our guy hit him up with a bunch of Cowboys questions.

But the only question Jones felt compelled to answer was about his star running back.

Of course, the NFL launched an investigation into Elliott after a woman who claimed to be dating Zeke told police he roughed her up on several occasions in July 2016. Zeke denied any wrongdoing.

The NFL is expected to announce the findings of it's investigation soon -- Jones is clearly convinced he'll be off the hook.

Good news for Cleveland Browns wideout Corey Coleman -- prosecutors will NOT press charges against him over a New Year's Eve brawl at a Cleveland apartment complex.

The bad news ... his brother was charged with felony assault.

As we previously reported, Coleman was initially accused of participating in a violent 10-person brawl in front of an elevator inside the apt. complex.

Investigators collected DNA evidence in an effort to identify the assailants -- and now the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office says there was no DNA linked to Corey.

As a result, no charges will be brought against the 23-year-old, who was a 1st round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

As for his brother, Jonathan Coleman, officials say he and another man, Jared Floyd, will be charged with 2nd degree assault. Both were released on a $10,000 personal bond.

Colin Kaepernick's camp is adamantly denying he turned down an NFL contract in order to "play up the race card" ... calling the report a "bold faced lie."

Multiple people in the QB's inner circle say there's absolutely zero truth to a Daily Caller report that Kaep shot down an offer from an unnamed NFL team in order to stir up "a media frenzy that eventually leads to a more lucrative deal."

As one well-connected Kapernick source tells TMZ Sports, "Colin NEVER had any talks about any contract or any money" with any NFL team.

Jim Kelly -- legend -- does what he wants, when he wants ... and that includes drinking your beer.

The Buffalo Bills legend was signing autographs at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio over the weekend when he got thirsty.

Kelly saw a fan with an ice-cold beer mug and decided to make his move. The fan tells TMZ Sports he was stoked about the encounter and happy to help out.

9:20 AM PT -- J.D. tells TMZ Sports he meant Kaep was screwing up the owners' money, not the money for black QBs.

Colin Kaepernick's protest is screwing up the NFL ecosystem for black QBs and costing them major money ... so says "The Wire" actor J.D. Williams who says Colin's hurting more than he's helping.

Williams has been in a ton of stuff, but he's most famous for playing street soldier Bodie Broadus for four seasons on HBO's "The Wire."

Williams took to his Twitter moments ago and fired off a series of tweets doing something most black celebrities have shied away from doing ... criticizing Colin Kaepernick's protest.

"I appreciate Kaepernicks' sentiment and attempt at a statement but he didn't HAVE to sacrifice his career in THAT way. Nice try?"

"We do REMEMBER black QBs in the NFL weren't even a THING really until about 7 yrs ago right? Kaep f**ked up their money ... with a big ass fro."

He didn't stop there, going on to imply Colin's protest wasn't a smart thing to do, because his employer (the NFL) doesn't care about his politics.

Spike Lee is clearly fed up that Colin Kaepernick is unemployed -- and now he's going to bat for the QB.

The legendary director of movies like "Do the Right Thing," "Jungle Fever" and "Malcolm X" is promoting an event called, "United We Stand. Rally for Colin Kaepernick."

It's all going down on Wednesday, August 23 in front of NFL Headquarters in NY. Multiple organizations are on board -- including the Justice League NYC and the Empowerment Movement.

Jay Cutler might have the fast-track to getting in shape for the Dolphins ... courtesy of the other Jay Cutler!!

Jay Cutler, the famous bodybuilder, has heard it all from the QB's fans (and haters) throughout his name-bro's career ... and he knows the spam's comin' back strong now that the longtime Bears signal-caller is back in the NFL.

But buff Jay ain't holdin' a grudge against the softer Jay -- the four-time Mr. Olympia's such a good dude ... he told us the QB's got an open invite to come hit the weights with him.

No doubt all of Miami's hoping he accepts the invite!

Johnny Manziel believes Colin Kaepernick's NFL career is far from over ... and says he thinks the controversial free agent QB will find a new home once the noise surrounding him dies down.

Manziel -- who's currently working his own way back into the league -- says Kaep's already proven his worth in huge games ... and doesn't think his National Anthem protest in 2016 should affect his relationship with teams.

"Even if he's not gonna start, he's good enough to be on a roster for sure," the ex-Browns star tells Clay Travis of Outkick the Coverage at the International Football Betting Conference in Costa Rica.

"I think once all the other stuff quiets down a little bit, he'll be okay."

Dolphins star WR Jarvis Landry is under investigation for domestic battery ... Ft. Lauderdale police tell TMZ Sports.

The alleged battery occurred on April 1, 2017. In the incident report "hands, fist, feet, teeth" are listed as weapons used in the alleged incident. Landry has not been arrested, or charged with a crime.

A rep for the Ft. Lauderdale PD tells us, "this is an open investigation that has been sent over to the State Attorney’s Office for review."

Dolphins head coach, Adam Gase, said the team is aware of the situation, but refused to comment further.

A rep for the NFL tells us the league is investigating, saying "the matter is under review."

Landry, 24, is one of the best receivers in the NFL ... making the Pro Bowl in '15 and '16.

12:10PM PT -- Estrella Cerqueira, the mother of Landry's daughter, who was allegedly involved in the incident, released the following statement through J.L.'s rep.

“In March of 2017 the father of my child and I had a vocal disagreement that resulted in someone calling 911. I, myself did not call the police. When the police arrived they determined that there was no cause for any arrests nor was there any concern for my physical well-being. There were no arrests made, there were no criminal charges, I was not in any way physically harmed Yes, we are going through a civil family court case and emotions are high, but I would like to make it very clear that Jarvis would never, ever do anything to harm me or anyone else. Jarvis and I are happily raising our beautiful daughter and I would like to make a plea to the media that they refrain from spreading this completely false story.”