NFL

Jerry Jones says Roger Goodell is trying to redeem himself for mishandling the Ray Rice situation by going extra hard on Ezekiel Elliott ... saying the commish turned Zeke into a "victim of an over-correction."

Zeke's request for a preliminary injunction was denied by a U.S. District judge on Monday ... upholding his 6-game suspension.

Jones addressed the newest update with "Shan & RJ" on 105.3 The Fan ... saying Goodell knows he went too easy on Rice, and is now trying to appease the public by burying Zeke.

It pays to mock Colin Kaepernick ... just ask the guy who walked away with a cash prize at a major Louisiana casino for being "Colin Krapperdick."

It all went down at the Horseshoe Casino in Bossier City -- a hotel owned by Caesars Entertainment -- where 53-year-old James Pendarvis mocked the QB in an effort to win a share of a $1,500 prize.

Pendarvis sported a jersey that read, "Krapperdick" across the front -- with accessories that included an adult diaper, a pacifier and an afro.

Also, he had a fake body dressed as a soldier grabbing his waist -- strategically positioned to remain standing when "Krapperdick" took a knee.

The casino says the contest winners were voted on by casino guests -- NOT STAFF -- and has already apologized saying, "As a company that embraces inclusion, we apologize to all those who are offended."

As for Pendarvis, he issued a statement to the Shreveport Times saying, "As a society we have freedom of speech. But yet, I get hammered for a costume."

The Chief of the University of Nevada, Reno Police Dept. -- where Colin Kaepernick went to school -- is apologizing for an officer who mocked the QB at a Halloween party.

The officer in hot water is Antonio Gutierrez -- who wore a Kaepernick jersey with a "Will stand for food" sign ... while sporting an afro wig and a fake nose in an effort to make fun of the QB.

But the UNR PD ain't laughing ... Chief Adam Garcia issued a statement condemning Gutierrez saying, "For those who have seen the Halloween costume of one of our officers apparently mocking a citizen who has chosen to take advantage of his constitutional right to protest, I offer my sincere apologies."

"Members of our profession are held to a higher standard and denigrating another -- on or off duty -- is insensitive for its lack of respect and lack of understanding on how others may negatively view their actions and may be impacted."

When asked if the officer was punished, we were told, "We have no policy that would dictate any disciplinary action."

FYI, Kaepernick was a standout QB at UNR from 2007 to 2010 -- before being drafted by the 49ers.

For the first time, video of Peyton Manning's deposition -- in which he denies sexually assaulting a former University of Tennessee trainer -- has gone public.

Peyton sat for the deposition back in 2003 ... after Dr. Jamie Naughright sued him for defamation over a chapter in his autobiography about the 1996 incident.

Naughright had accused Manning of shoving his testicles and anus into her face while she was examining him on a training table at UT.

Manning claims he was simply trying to "moon" a friend -- and in the deposition video, obtained by "Inside Edition," he explains:

"I briefly pulled down my pants to so-called 'moon' him. One second, one and a half seconds. Pulled my pants back up and continued with Jamie's examination of the bottom of my foot."

Naughright says Manning is lying and refused to back down during an interview with "Inside Edition."

Manning's attorney is adamant the NFL legend did nothing wrong.

Ex-NFL star Antrel Rolle knew damn well he wasn't screwing the IRS out of millions of dollars -- he was being set up ... and officials say he helped catch the scumbag at the heart of the scheme.

Long story short ... Rolle's former tax attorney was arrested by federal agents Monday morning after prosecutors say he filed tons of fake documents to score huge tax refunds in Rolle's name, only to pocket the money for himself.

Officials say Hiram Martin -- who Rolle hired as a rookie in 2006 -- stole at least $1.2 MILLION over the years but Rolle had no clue since Martin hid all the tax documents from him.

By the way, Rolle reportedly made more than $60 mil during his NFL career -- guessing Martin figured he wouldn't notice if he skimmed a couple mil.

Rolle finally realized something was up when he got hit with a $2 million tax bill in 2011 despite the fact he thought he made all his payments to Uncle Sam.

Rolle smartly hired another lawyer who was able to get the $2 mil tax judgment thrown out because of Martin's alleged fraud. That seemingly alerted the feds who cracked down on Martin and arrested him.

Good news for Zach Miller ... the emergency surgery to repair an artery in his left leg was successful -- and it seems like his leg will be saved.

The Chicago Bears tight end damaged an artery when he badly dislocated his left knee during Sunday's game against the Saints. It was so bad, ESPN says he was in danger of losing his leg.

But now the Bears have issued a statement implying Miller is out of the danger zone.

"Miller sustained a serious injury to his left knee and immediate evaluation from our medical team on site rushed him to nearby University Medical Center New Orleans (UMC) for urgent vascular surgery to repair a torn popliteal artery."

"Successful surgery was performed immediately on Sunday by the UMC vascular surgeons to stabilize his injury."

"Zach remains at UMC, along with Bears medical personnel, where he will stay under further evaluation."

The horrific leg injury Chicago Bears TE Zach Miller suffered on Sunday was so bad, surgeons were scrambling to "save his leg" ... according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

Miller badly dislocated his left knee while trying to catch a TD pass in the 3rd quarter against the New Orleans Saints. He came down on the leg wrong and Miller knew right away the injury was bad.

Now, Mortensen says Miller suffered damage to an artery in his leg -- and vascular surgeons have been called in to repair it.

Janet Jackson has a Classic Man in her corner begging the NFL for a JJ + JT reunion at the Super Bowl halftime show ... 'cause Jidenna says it's only right to give the duo a shot at redemption!!

As we previously reported ... Janet is NOT banned from performing at the show, so when we broke the news to Jidenna ... he let out a huge "HALLELUJAH!!"

The "Bambi" singer says the league should let Janet perform with Justin Timberlake this year ... and jokes if they don't like the results, they can start a kneeling protest of their own.

All kidding aside ... Jidenna says a Janet appearance would be "massive."

The Houston Texans had a mixed response to their owner's comment comparing kneeling players to prison inmates ... but the majority took a knee.

About 25 Texans players knelt during the National Anthem ahead of Sunday's game against the Seahawks -- which looked kinda awkward since some other players chose to stand.

The kneeling appears to be a direct response to Bob McNair's comment last week when he said "You can't have the inmates running the prison" in reference to players who kneel in protest.

The backlash was swift, and McNair apologized for his phrasing ... but not before one of his players, DeAndre Hopkins, left Friday's practice in reaction to the news.

Joe Flacco's old teammate says he would've gotten payback on Kiko Alonso for his hard hit that resulted in the QB's concussion ... telling TMZ Sports he "would've ran after" the Dolphins LB right after the vicious blow.

We spoke with Vonta Leach -- who won a Super Bowl with Baltimore in 2013 -- about Alonso's tackle during the the 1st half of Thursday Night Football ... which he believes should've resulted in an ejection.

The 3-time Pro Bowler admits he's upset more players didn't rush to defend their franchise quarterback.

Watch the clip.

Houston Texans superstar WR DeAndre Hopkins walked out of Texans practice Friday because he was so pissed off at team owner Bob McNair for comparing kneeling players to prison inmates.

Hopkins is the 2nd biggest star on the team behind J.J. Watt -- and according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, he was extremely offended by the comments McNair made at a recent NFL owner's meeting.

The comments: "Can't have the inmates running the prison." McNair has apologized but it's clearly not sitting well with Texans players.

Schefter says Hopkins did not practice and left the facility. ESPN is also reporting other Texans players wanted to boycott practice and needed to be convinced to stay.

Devon Still -- one of the most beloved pro athletes around -- tells TMZ Sports his days of being an NFL player might be coming to an end.

You know Still's story ... he fought alongside his daughter Leah while she battled cancer -- at the same time he was trying to earn a roster spot with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Together, Devon and Leah have raised millions of dollars for cancer research. In fact, Devon and Leah got an ESPY in 2015 -- the Jimmy V Perseverance Award.

But now, the 28-year-old seems to be at crossroads -- he hasn't caught on with a team since being waived by the Jets earlier this year ... so when we saw him in NYC we wanted to know what his future on the gridiron would be.

"I don't know. We'll find out in a couple of weeks. I'll make my decision about whether I'm gonna continue with my NFL career or move on with my next venture in life."

If Still decides to hang up his cleats ... he definitely has a future as a motivational speaker/fundraiser. Millions of people are rooting for him.

BTW -- We also asked Devon about the controversial hit Kiko Alonso put on Ravens QB Joe Flacco, and Still told us KA's wallet might get a little lighter soon.

7:57 AM PT -- McNair just issued a statement saying, "I regret that I used that expression. I never meant to offend anyone and I was not referring to our players."

"I used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally."

"I would never characterize our players or our league that way and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it."

The owner of the Houston Texans is in hot water after reportedly saying when it comes to players kneeling in the NFL, "You can't have the inmates running the prison."

Bob McNair made the comments during an owners meeting at NFL headquarters in NYC last week, according to ESPN.

But the comment didn't go unchecked -- Troy Vincent, a former NFL player who is now the NFL's Exec. V.P. of Football Operations stood up and told the group he was offended.

Vincent reportedly told McNair that he had been called all sorts of terrible slurs during his NFL career -- inlcuding the N-word -- but never felt like an "inmate."

The San Francisco 49ers are donating $500,000 to help improve police and community relations -- and one of the most influential police groups in L.A. says it's a great first step.

The L.A. Police Protective League -- which represents roughly 10,000 officers -- sent a letter to its members praising the 49ers for the donation, which will also be used to advocate for the ban of bump stocks, which turn semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic ones.

But the letter also acknowledged that there's been a real problem between cops and the NFL recently.

"We have all been angry, frustrated and disappointed with the NFL," the letter states ... "but there is a time for anger and a time for action."

However, the LAPPL says they want to work with the 49ers because of the personal commitment of team owner Jed York -- who has vowed to get "personally involved in improving the relationship between our officers, his team, and the overall public."

The organization that oversees high school football in California tells TMZ Sports the Oakland high school that allowed Marshawn Lynch to participate in a full-contact practice violated state rules.

Lynch posted the video himself -- showing the 31-year-old NFL running back running over and being tackled by members of the OTHS football team during a Wednesday practice.

The problem ... the school isn't allowed to let grown men who aren't students hit (or get hit by) students.

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) official pointed us to this rule:

"Only 9th through 12th grade students may practice with or compete on a high school team."

The Oakland Unified School District issued a statement saying, "[Marshawn's] participation in the practice did not comply with Oakland Athletic League’s rules and regulations. Site administration did not receive prior notice that Lynch would be attending an after school practice."

"Once they found out, they and the League Commissioner promptly reminded all OUSD coaches of the bylaws and took appropriate measures."

Commissioner Alphonso Powell adds, "We take these rules very seriously as the safety and wellbeing of our student athletes is our foremost concern."

Obviously, playing with Marshawn must have been awesome (we're told the kids were stoked) but the issue for CIF ultimately comes down to safety.

One school official told us the school could be punished for the incident (possible suspensions, etc.) but so far, no discipline has been handed out.

Odell Beckham's biological father -- Odell Beckham Sr. -- was arrested in Texas on Wednesday after officials in Texas say he was carrying weed and a gun ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Details surrounding the arrest are unclear -- but Odell was booked on 2 charges ... "unlawful carrying weapon" and "possession of marijuana under 2 ounces."

Beckham was taken to a nearby station where he was booked and posed for a mug shot. He has since been released on $5,000 bail.

Like his son, Odell Sr. played football at LSU -- and was the starting running back for the Tigers when Odell was born in 1992.