NFL

The Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. says Michael Bennett's claims that he was racially profiled during an August 27 incident are WRONG ... and they believe new video will prove it.

LVMPD undersheriff Kevin McMahill says investigators are combing through hundreds of videos associated with the incident ... but featured 1 bodycam video that he believes helps tell the story.

McMahill says cops had responded to an active shooter call at The Cromwell hotel around 1:30 AM on August 27 ... and when they arrived, teams of cops were focused on clearing the casino and hunting for the shooter.

McMahill says the bodycam shows officers clearing out dozens of people of various races. He says officers only chased Bennett when he acted suspiciously during the intense search.

McMahill says "due to Bennett's actions ... they believed Bennett may have been involved in the shooting and they gave chase."

McMahill pointed out that both officers involved in detaining Bennett are Hispanic.

McMahill says an internal investigation is underway -- but at this point, "I see no evidence that race played any role in this incident."

The LVMPD says Bennett was NOT armed and cops eventually determined he was not involved in any criminal activity.

Bennett claims one of the cops held a gun to his head and threatened to "blow my f*cking head off" -- but McMahill did not address that particular allegation.

Michael Bennett was so overcome with emotion while talking about the Vegas police incident and how it affected his family ... that he paused at the podium during a Seahawks news conference and walked off.

As Bennett addressed the media after Seahawks practice, he called the Vegas incident a "traumatic experience" ... and says, "It sucks that the country that we live in now sometimes you get profiled for the color of your skin."

Bennett was asked about the TMZ Sports video of the incident -- but wouldn't get into details about what happened before and after the camera started recording.

The final question for Bennett was about if he's reflected on a previous statement in which he said he'll always be viewed as a black man in America ... no matter what he accomplishes in football.

Bennett brought up his daughters ... and got emotional. And that's when he abruptly ended the conference.

J.J. Watt's younger bro, Derek Watt, isn't just praising his brother for raising $27 MILLION for Hurricane Harvey victims ... he's getting involved, too!

Derek -- a 2nd year fullback for the Chargers -- was loading up trucks at the "Chargers Food & Supply Drive to Aid Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts" in L.A. on Wednesday ... along with several teammates.

Watt says he's been texting with his family about J.J.'s fundraising -- and thinking of other ways they can help out.

You gotta watch the video ... Derek says he's "extremely proud" and vows to help push the magic number to over $30 MILLION.

12:30 PM PT -- Sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ Sports ... when cops responded to the club for a possible shooting, they ordered everyone to get down and not move so they could properly search and investigate.

We're told Bennett did not stay put -- instead, he ran -- and a cop outside the club stopped him and ordered him down to the ground at gunpoint.

Our sources say Bennett was detained until cops could determine he was not involved in any possible criminal activity ... and he was released.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of NFL superstar Michael Bennett being handcuffed by police while lying face down on the concrete in Las Vegas ... and you can hear him screaming that he's innocent.

The video was shot outside Drai's Nightclub on August 26 -- you can see one officer take position on a balcony while another cop handcuffs Bennett on the street level.

During the incident Bennett screams out, "I wasn't doing nothing man! I was here with my friends! They told us to get out, everybody ran!"

Bennett claims the officer had pulled a gun on him and threatened to "blow my f*cking head off" -- but you don't see that in our footage. At the time the video begins, Bennett is already being cuffed.

You can see the officer on the balcony is clutching something in his hand that resembles a handgun -- but it's unclear.

Bennett has said in a statement that he -- and several hundred other people -- were running from the club after hearing what they thought were gunshots. He claims cops stopped him for "being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time."

We've reached out to the Las Vegas Metro PD for comment -- we're told they're investigating the incident.

The man dressed up like Colin Kaepernick during a segment with FS1 star Jason Whitlock is not white ... despite what the Internet thinks.

He's actually Kid from Kid 'n Play -- aka Christopher Reid, star of 'House Party' 1, 2 and 3 (remember, he was replaced by Immature in 'House Party 4').

Whitlock has been receiving all sorts of hate online from people who think he dressed up a white dude to mock the NFL QB. That's simply not the case.

Others -- including ESPN's Josina Anderson -- are pissed at Whitlock for "mocking a movement." Don Cheadle gave his stamp of approval to her criticism.

The actual segment involving Kid (as Kaep) has not aired (at the time this post was written) -- but Whitlock has hinted there's more to the story.

"I remember the good-old days when people sought real information before feigning outrage in a publication or publicly."

Stay tuned ...

Seattle Seahawks superstar Michael Bennett says a police officer threatened to "blow my f*cking head off" during a heated incident in Vegas on the weekend of the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight.

Bennett says he was heading back to his hotel room after the fight when he heard gunshots ring out.

"Like many people in the area, I ran away from the sound, looking for safety," Bennett says in a statement.

Bennett says Las Vegas police "singled me out and pointed their guns at me for doing nothing more than simply being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time."

One of the cops, Bennett claims, "ordered me to get on the ground" and told him that if he moved he would "blow my f*cking head off."

Bennett says another officer put his knee in his back, making it hard for him to breathe. He was then cuffed so tightly that his fingers went numb.

The 31-year-old says he thought he was going to die and his life flashed before his eyes.

Bennett says cops eventually realized he was not involved in the shooting and let him go -- but the NFL star says he's furious about the situation and has lawyered up to explore his legal options.

We've reached out to the Las Vegas Metro PD for comment -- so far, no word back.

FYI, Bennett has sat for the national anthem during Seahawks pre-season games -- and he says this incident has only strengthened his resolve.

It was Terrell Owens, Tim Tebow ... and now, Ezekiel Elliott is the "ratings baby" the media is glomming on to ... so says Michael Irvin.

You know what he's talking about -- when a story becomes such a big deal, news outlets will streeeeetch in a shameless way for an angle involving the media topic everyone cares about.

This time, Irvin says, the media knows Zeke's scandal is a magnet for viewers ... and he's seen some networks reach new lows trying to exploit the running back's issues for a ratings pop.

Ezekiel Elliott has officially taken an L with his domestic violence appeal ... as the NFL upheld the RB's 6-game suspension Tuesday following an arbitration hearing at the league's NYC headquarters.

NFL-appointed arbitrator, Harold Henderson, handed down the verdict ... after hearing Elliott's case from a team led by Jeffrey Kessler -- the lawyer who's repped the NFLPA on several landmark appeals including DeflateGate.

Zeke also gave his side of the story while under oath ... according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

The league suspended Elliott earlier this month after finding "substantial evidence" he engaged in physical violence against his then-girlfriend, Tiffany Thompson -- a claim the Cowboys superstar has adamantly denied.

Elliott's team was reportedly prepared for this outcome ... as Henderson denied a request to have Thompson testify at the appeal proceeding. Henderson also barred the introduction of notes and materials gathered in the NFL's interviews with Thompson.

Zeke's legal team says, "We are extremely disappointed with Mr. Henderson's inability to navigate through league politics, and follow the evidence and, most importantly, his conscience." Next step is federal court, where Cowboys star will ask a judge to reduce his suspension.

No ruling yet ... but it's close.

The NFL Player's Association has said the arbitrator overseeing Ezekiel Elliott's appeal of his 6-game suspension was trying to issue his decision by end of business day on Tuesday -- but so far, nothing yet.

The operative word in that sentence is "trying" -- we're told the arbitrator has a lot of material to comb through and wants to be thorough ... he doesn't want to rush out a decision.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel appeared in a courtroom in Sherman, Texas where he filed documents in federal court asking for a restraining order against the NFL, barring the league from enforcing punishment stemming from the domestic violence investigation.

Hurricane Harvey is thankfully calming down ... but J.J. Watt's relief fund for Houston is still goin' strong -- pushing past the $20 MILLION mark on Tuesday.

J.J.'s crowdfunding campaign started off with a $200K goal a little over a week ago ... and quickly ran up into the multi-millions with big-name celebs like Miley Cyrus ($500K), Drake ($200K) and Chris Paul ($75K) leading the way.

In case you're wondering how things are going ... Watt shared an update on social media after breaking $20 mil -- saying, "It has truly been an incredible spectacle to watch."

Kirk Cousins says there's a good reason he turned down a multi-year deal with the Redskins ... God told him to, saying it was in the Lord's plan for him be on a 1-year contract.

Cousins reportedly turned down a multi-year deal that would've paid him $53 million guaranteed ($72 overall) with the Redskins this past off-season -- instead electing to ink a 1-year deal and see where it goes.

People wondered ... Why bro, WHY?

Kirk was at the Liberty University Convocation last week and went into what made him walk away from the big cash, and it's all about the man upstairs.

Eric Dickerson is convinced Ezekiel Elliott is innocent -- and says the NFL overstepped by punishing the Dallas Cowboys star after prosecutors declined to press charges in his domestic violence case.

The NFL Hall of Famer didn't mince words at the Malibu Chili Cook-Off this weekend when talking about the situation to TMZ Sports -- "I think they shoulda stayed out of it. The NFL should have stayed out of it."

Dickerson says if Zeke DID physically abuse his girlfriend, the punishment is still too harsh -- he feels a 3-game suspension would have been more appropriate.

But the bigger issue ... Dickerson says he doesn't think Zeke committed a crime or did ANYTHING warranting a punishment.

The NFL has filed 2 scathing new legal documents -- seeking to block Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL Player's Association from challenging the league's 6 game suspension ... and ripping the RB along the way.

The 1st document, filed in federal court in Texas, the NFL asks the judge to reject the NFLPA's request to throw out whatever punishment the arbitrator hands out to the Cowboys star.

Since the arbitrator hasn't ruled yet, the NFL says in the court docs, "the NFLPA lacks standing to vacate a hypothetical award." The league calls the NFLPA's motion an "utter waste of judicial resources."

In the 2nd document, also filed in federal court in Texas, the NFL is again essentially trying to block the imposition of the arbitrator's ruling.

This time, the NFL fires back against Elliott's claim that he has suffered "reputational harm" from the league's investigation and punishment.

"To the extent Elliott has suffered reputational harm, that harm is due to his own actions, including the well-publicized actions that led [the accuser] to call the Columbus Police Dept."

The league continued, "The NFLPA's concerns about reputational harm ring especially hollow given the avalanche of publicity the NFLPA engendered by filing the damning details of Elliott's misconduct on a public document."

The federal court judge has yet to rule. Ditto for the arbitrator overseeing Elliott's appeal.

There's more to that Jay Cutler butt pic than meets the (brown) eye ... so says Kristin Cavallari!

Turns out, the famous Jay Butt-ler pic was taken during an outing to a nude beach during a romantic trip to Mexico back in March.

Cavallari told the story to our friends at TooFab ... saying they got caught up in the moment and figured, "When in Rome ..."

KC says she still can't believe the Miami Dolphins QB let her post the photo on social media!

TooFab also asked how the family felt about Jay's new 1-year contract with the Fins and if he plans on playing next year!

Matt Stafford's got a lot of haters after signing the biggest NFL contract EVER ... but one of Detroit's hottest rappers has his back!

Tee Grizzley's standin' up for his boy, Matt ... telling TMZ Sports the $135 million man is about to ball out for the Lions and prove he's worth every dollar.

Tee would know -- he says he's been chillin' with Stafford ... and the QB's coming into this season ready to take Detroit farther than the team's ever gone (so at least the 2nd round).

Post Malone is exonerating Ezekiel Elliott with his suspension appeal ongoing -- saying the Dallas Cowboys RB "did NOTHING wrong" and shouldn't have to sit out.

"Free Zeke -- you did nothing wrong, Zeke," Post told TMZ Sports outside TAO in Vegas.

Post is a HUGE Cowboys fan -- and clearly thinks the NFL's gotta ease up on his 6-game ban for allegedly attacking his ex-girlfriend.

Even if they don't, the rapper told us his "Boys are goin' ALL THE WAY this year" ... as long as they don't toke up too much during the season.

But don't get it twisted -- Post is 100% down with weed being legal -- in the NFL and in general.