NFL

J.J. Watt's relief fund for Hurricane Harvey victims just cracked $7 MILLION -- and he ain't stoppin' there!

Watt's crowdfunding campaign started with a target of $500K on Sunday ... and quickly climbed into the millions with generous donations from star athletes like Chris Paul.

Now, the Houston Texans star is steppin' it up even more -- setting a new goal of $10 million ... the same amount donated by Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander.

FYI, Watt shared his plans for the cash when he hit $6 mil -- saying his team is filling up semitrucks to distribute water, food and other supplies throughout Houston.

WHO'S THE ROOKIE NOW?!

Von Miller got smashed on by rookie lineman Garett Bolles in a competitive game of mini-basketball in the Broncos locker room ... with Bolles tearing the rim down in the process!

FYI, Bolles was the guy who wussed out during the rookie hot dog eating contest and got the "Game of Thrones" shame treatment from his teammates when he spit out his wieners.

Despite dominating the 1-on-1 ... Bolles ended up getting shamed -- AGAIN -- and it's hilarious.

Teddy Bridgewater just issued a strong statement about the health of his left knee without saying a word -- in the form of a LOCKER ROOM DANCE PARTY!

Almost 1 year to the day after suffering a catastrophic knee injury -- and with questions if he'll be able to play in 2017 -- the Vikings QB turned up the music and busted out the dance moves to prove he's on the mend.

Teddy looked like he could be an extra in the next "You Got Served" flick -- though when he busted out the C-Walk, he used his healthier right leg as his main support.

The Vikings have 1 week to decide if they should put Bridgewater on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list ... which would mean he'd have to sit the first 6 weeks.

Teddy is clearly trying to convince his bosses he's ready to go.

The big loser in the Matt Stafford contract situation is Tom Brady -- because if a guy who won ZERO playoff games is making $135 mil, Brady needs a raise, stat ... so says Eddie George.

The ex-NFL running back wouldn't go as far as to say Stafford doesn't deserve the fat new deal -- but says it's Brady who should be the highest paid player in the league.

"[Stafford] is 0-3 in the playoffs. Tom Brady has 5 Super Bowl rings. I think that money should go to Tom!"

By the way, Brady signed a 2-year, $41 million contract ... so he ain't exactly starvin'.

Still, George says Stafford's a great talent -- but "he's gotta produce some wins man. 0-3's not gonna cut it in terms of that!"

Ezekiel Elliott's date with the arbitrator is here -- the Dallas Cowboys running back is set to appear at NFL headquarters in NYC Tuesday to appeal his 6 game domestic violence suspension.

The gun nightmare is officially over for Buffalo Bills lineman Adolphus Washington -- who was found not guilty of improperly carrying a concealed handgun stemming from a incident at a water park.

As we previously reported, cops drew their weapons and stormed Washington's car when they saw him handling his gun while leaving a party at the Cincinnati-area waterpark on July 9.

Washington claimed he was innocently trying to put the gun away -- and wasn't trying to brandish it.

He was arrested and charged -- and Monday, the case went to a non-jury trial where he was found NOT GUILTY.

He's off the hook with the law -- but could still face discipline from the NFL.

Arian Foster's Houston home is halfway under water, thanks to Hurricane Harvey.

The ex-Houston Texans running back still has a home in the area -- and his entire street has been hit hard from the storm.

"Neighbors took a video of our crib from across the street," Foster wrote while posting video showing several homes submerged ... while the rain continues to pour.

So far, at least 5 people have died from the storm and thousands of residents have been forced to leave town -- including Foster.

Foster's former teammate, J.J. Watt, has kick-started a campaign to help hurricane relief ... and is hoping to raise $500k for flood victims.

Shannon Sharpe says he "1,000% wholeheartedly disagrees" with every word Jim Brown said about Colin Kaepernick ... telling TMZ Sports he's incredibly disappointed in the NFL Hall of Famer.

As we previously reported, Jim spoke out AGAINST Colin's national anthem protest -- saying he would never disrespect the anthem by taking a knee -- and told Colin he needs to choose whether he wants to be an activist or a football player.

The comments DEFINITELY didn't sit well with Shannon -- the co-host of FS1's "Undisputed" says it hurts that someone as well respected as Brown would throw shade at someone trying to stand up for black people.

Sharpe also said he didn't realize there was a right and wrong way to protest -- and referenced the famous '67 Cleveland Summit, where stars like Brown, Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more banded together to support Ali's refusal to be drafted into the U.S. military.

"I'm sure they told him in 1967 when he called that Summit, I'm sure they said it wasn't the right way."

Jim Brown says he WANTS to support Colin Kaepernick's cause -- but admits he would NEVER disrespect the national anthem by taking a knee during a game.

Brown opened up about Kaep to The Post Game ... saying, "I want to be in his corner, and I do think, 'God bless him' -- but noting, "Colin has to make up his mind whether he's truly an activist or he's a football player."

"Football is commercial. You have owners. You have fans. And you want to honor that if you're making that kind of money."

"I can't be two things at once that contradict each other. If I sign for money, then the people I sign with, they have rules and regulations."

As for the protest, Brown says ... "I'm going to give you the real deal: I'm an American. I don't desecrate my flag and my national anthem."

"I'm not gonna do anything against the flag and national anthem. I'm going to work within those situations. But this is my country, and I'll work out the problems, but I'll do it in an intelligent manner."

Colin Kaepernick has another powerful ally ... Dave Chappelle.

In fact, the comedian wore a shirt supporting the embattled QB on the way into his big stand-up show Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall in NYC.

The shirts were being given out by the NAACP at the Kaepernick rally in front of NFL headquarters on Wednesday ... unclear if Chappelle was there or got a shirt after the fact.

Chappelle wore a different shirt onstage for the performance -- but made sure people saw it on the way inside.

George Foreman is changing course on Colin Kaepernick -- saying there's NOTHING wrong with his decision to protest and even hailing him as a "great football player" who belongs in the NFL.

Foreman appeared on "TMZ Live" on Thursday and addressed previous comments in which he seemed to question Kaep's patriotism and suggested his protest was misguided.

"There's nothing wrong with a guy voicing his opinion," Foreman told TMZ Live ... "When you're young you gotta have an opinion. What's the use of being young if you can’t protest?"

Foreman then went to bat for Colin ... "This guy’s a great football player. I can’t see why he doesn’t have a job. He’s that good."

LeSean McCoy says there's only one reason Colin Kaepernick isn't in the NFL ... he's not that good at football.

McCoy unloaded about Kaepernick after Bills practice moments ago ... saying he doesn't believe the league is being unfair to the embattled QB at all.

"You just got to look at all sides, like if I'm an owner, or the GM of a team, do I want to put him on my team? Is he good enough to be on the squad, to even deal with everything that's going on? That's something that I don't really partake in," Shady said.

That wasn't all, the Pro Bowl running back went on to say he thinks a better player like Tom Brady or Odell Beckham wouldn't even be dealing with the heat Kaep is getting.

Chiefs legend Neil Smith rescued a pregnant woman stuck in a severe flood earlier this week ... and now he's walking us through the harrowing experience.

Smith -- who played 13 seasons in the NFL, made 6 Pro Bowls and won 2 Super Bowls -- saw a woman trapped in her car on Tuesday on a severely flooded street near his home in Lee's Summit, Missouri.

FYI -- the area has been pounded with a historic amount of rain.

The 6'5" ex-NFL star tells us he immediately jumped into action (after he took off his shoes) and made a beeline for the woman ... reaching her and escorting her to safety, unhurt.

"Everything I've ever done, both on the field and in life, I just react to things. Fortunately I was just there for her at a good time," Smith says.

"Thank God I was there at the right time to try and help her out, where life can just go on for another day."

Incredible story.

Ex-NFL star Ahman Green has pled not guilty to child abuses charges stemming from an incident with his daughter in Wisconsin back in June.

As we previously reported, Green -- a four-time Pro Bowler -- was charged with felony child abuse and misdemeanor disorderly conduct after allegedly punching his 15-year-old daughter after a fight about doing dishes.

Green's attorneys -- Randall Walter Petrouske and Leah Francour -- confirmed Green entered a not guilty plea this morning.

If convicted on both charges, Green faces up to 7 years behind bars.

Hip-hop legend Kurtis Blow strongly believes NFL owners are conspiring to keep Colin Kaepernick out of the league -- to send a message to other players to stay quiet about off-the-field issues.

Blow was at the United We Stand rally in front of NFL headquarters in NYC -- when he explained why Colin should be hailed as a hero, not a villain.

Katy Perry just hired a bunch of HUGE athletes for her new music video -- everyone from Rob Gronkowski to Karl-Anthony Towns ... even Joey Chestnut!!!

It's all for Katy's new "Swish Swish" video -- which all takes place at a basketball game, with Bill Walton and Rich Eisen announcing.

Some of the highlights ... Katy "Kobe" Perry takes on the guy who plays The Mountain on "Game of Thrones" while Chestnut slams down hot dogs in the crowd.

Gronk holds a sign. Karl-Anthony busts out the "Backpack Kid" dance.

Good times.