NFL

Stan Lee needed a real-life superhero to find and return his lost dog. Enter the immortal football legend, Jim Brown, who proved not all heroes wear capes.

Sources close to Stan tell TMZ ... the comic book legend's Mini Pomeranian, Charlotte, went missing last week, though it's unclear how she got loose. In any case, Stan's peeps canvassed the Hollywood Hills neighborhood where he lives and his business partner Keya Morgan posted "Lost Dog" flyers everywhere.

A few days passed, but the posters garnered zero leads ... leaving Stan resigned to the idea Charlotte was gone for good. But, not so fast.

We're told the NFL Hall of Famer and his wife, Monique -- who live about a mile away from Stan -- found Charlotte in their yard ... scared with no collar. The couple sprung into action ... first firing off an email to a bunch of their neighbors, but that fetched no clues.

The Browns were undeterred, and brought Charlotte to a vet, who found a microchip planted near her neck, but, again, no luck there either because the chip wasn't registered.

The Browns then went old school and canvassed several neighborhoods and BAM ... they saw the posters, called the number and just like that, Charlotte was reunited with Stan.

No word on whether Jim gets a reward!

Josh Norman is already getting behind his new QB -- telling TMZ Sports he feels Alex Smith is "underrated" for everything he's done in his career.

We spotted the Washington Redskins star cornerback in Atlanta and asked how he felt about the big quarterback moves in the NFL ... including his old QB Kirk Cousins getting an $84 million deal with the Vikings.

Norman looked a little bummed out (why not? he's a good quarterback) but explained, "It's business. Everything is business."'

He also explained why Cousins is worth every single penny.

The owners might be scared ... but virtually all the players in the NFL support Colin Kaepernick and want him back in the league ... this according to Denver Broncos LB Brandon Marshall.

Marshall has been tight with Kaep since college and told the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs tonight on FS1) that he's 100% confident C.K. is ready to compete with the best in the world.

But Marshall doesn't think Kaep's job status has anything to do with his skill -- it's the owners who are too afraid to stand up for the QB.

Billionaire businessman Tom Benson -- who owned the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans -- has died, his family has confirmed.

The 90-year-old passed away peacefully Thursday at Ochsner Medical Center in Louisiana with his wife, Gayle Marie Benson, at his side after falling ill with the flu.

Benson started out as a bookkeeper at a Chevy dealership in New Orleans -- but went on to become a dealership owner and expanded the business into a billion-dollar empire.

Benson bought the Saints in 1985 -- when they weren't exactly winners (remember the Aints?). The team posted their first winning record in 1987 and made the playoffs that year. Of course, they got better and won the Super Bowl in 2010.

In 2012, Benson bought the New Orleans Hornets and changed the name to the Pelicans.

Colin Kaepernick wants everyone to know he's still NFL ready ... and he's showing off his rocket arm during a training session in Houston.

Kaepernick hit the field with Josh Hidalgo -- Head of Sports Performance at William Paterson University -- and threw some darts with a team of pass catchers.

Hidalgo says he's been training Kaep every single day since January 2017 -- adding, "We haven't stopped throwing, training and preparing."

"To say he's dedicated is an understatement ... Even when we’re traveling we put in that work."

Kaepernick hasn't taken a snap in the NFL since 2016 -- before he parted ways with the San Francisco 49ers.

Kaep has said he wants to get back in the league and compete for a starting job again -- and now he wants the world to see he's still got the talent that took him to the Super Bowl.

Drake broke the Internet this week by hopping on a computer game with its most popular player -- but the virtual appearance wasn't a planned plug ... Papi's just a big fan.

Sources over at Fortnite -- the battle-royale type combat game that's super popular on the streaming platform, Twitch -- tell TMZ that Drizzy's Wednesday night sesh with Ninja was not a sponsored event or a pre-planned gimmick ... on the contrary, it happened organically.

We're told Drake personally reached out to Ninja last week on Instagram to set up a mutual time to nerd out and blow stuff up on Fortnite. Apparently, he's a big fan of the game ... following its accounts on social media and even having his own profile -- TheBoyDuddus.

Our sources say Drake and Ninja did not signal they'd be online together Wednesday, and that the pairing came as a complete surprise. But, the love didn't go unnoticed (or unappreciated) ... we're told Fortnite's sending Drake a bunch of swag as a thank-you.

Fortnite's also in the process of setting a celebrity NBA-style "Party Royale" gaming event in mid-June with around 50 celebs and 50 pro gamers. We imagine Drake will get an invite -- Travis Scott and Steelers player Juju Smith, too ... who also played with D&N last night.

Eagles star Brent Celek is taking a line from "Terminator" in his heartfelt farewell to Philly -- telling fans not to be sad about him getting released 'cause, "I'll be back."

Brent -- who missed only 1 regular-season game in 11 SEASONS with the team -- says he's not 100% on continuing his playing career ... but no matter if it's on the field or off, he's gonna fly with the Super Bowl LII champs in the future.

"One day I'll be back with the Eagles in some capacity," Celek told TMZ Sports.

"When -- who knows? But, I love that organization ... I owe it to 'em."

Brent's also got nothing but love for Philly and its hardcore fans -- saying they've been great to him since he got drafted by the team in 2007.

Case in point -- the standing O they gave him at the 76ers game on Tuesday ... just hours after he was released.

Brent described everything it meant to him ... and you're gonna need some tissues.

The man who shot and killed ex-NFL RB Joe McKnight could be spending the rest of his life in a prison cell.

Ronald Gasser, 56, was just sentenced to 30 years behind bars ... less than 2 months after he was found guilty of manslaughter in a Louisiana courtroom. The maximum sentence he faced was 40 years.

Gasser was originally charged with 2nd-degree murder, but the jury elected for the lesser charge of manslaughter after more than 7 hours of deliberation back on Jan. 26.

McKnight -- who played for the Jets and Chiefs from 2010-2014 -- was gunned down by Gasser during a road-rage incident on Dec. 1, 2016, which ended when Gasser shot McKnight 3 times through his passenger side window.

Joe was only 28.

McKnight's mother, Jennifer, gave a victim impact statement before the sentencing, saying -- "That day, you didn't have to do that. That didn't have to happen. It hurts. It's going to hurt a long time."

Michelle Quick, the mother of Joe's 8-year-old son, also addressed Gasser before leaving the courtroom in tears.

"It will be my life's mission to make sure my son, Jaiden, doesn't grow up with hate for you. Not because you don't deserve it, but because he should not have hate in his heart."

FYI, Gasser's lawyer's filed a motion for a new trial before the sentencing -- claiming he was clearly acting in self-defense -- but the judge rejected their proposal.

Johnny Manziel is officially a MARRIED MAN -- tying the knot with Bre Tiesi in a very quiet private ceremony, TMZ Sports has learned.

Manziel had popped the question to Tiesi in March 2017. The 25-year-old has credited Bre with turning his life around and getting him cleaned up after years of craziness.

We had noticed the two were wearing rings recently that appeared to be wedding bands -- and now, sources connected to the couple tell us they have indeed traded "I do's."

In fact, sources tell us Tiesi plans on taking Manziel's last name.

We're told the ceremony took place at a California courthouse. Unclear if it was just Johnny and Bre, or if a few other people attended as well.

Sources tell us the couple hasn't ruled out a wedding celebration later this year.

It's been a big year for Johnny who's been training like crazy with some of his NFL friends including Joe Haden in an effort to get back to the NFL.

He'll finally get back on the field when the Spring League begins in two weeks.

Mazel tov!

Johnny Manziel can still resurrect his NFL career, so says Tyrann Mathieu -- but he's gotta do one fundamental thing to complete his comeback.

We spoke with Honey Badger on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... and since he's got one of football's best redemption stories, we asked him what Johnny should do to follow suit.

Tyrann's main piece of advice -- tune out the haters!!

"We get to certain points and certain stages in our career where we start to take other peoples’ opinions more than our own," Mathieu said.

"We stop believing in ourselves. We start believing in other people and what they’re saying."

And if Manziel gets that self-belief back -- "He’ll be alright."

FYI, we got Johnny out in L.A. over the weekend ... and it looks like he's already on his way!!

Bad news for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris ... dude just got sentenced to JAIL TIME after getting caught with more than an ounce of weed.

As we previously reported, Harris was pulled over in Missouri back in March 2017 and, during the stop, cops found more than 35 grams of marijuana in the car.

He was initially charged with felony possession -- but later struck a deal with prosecutors in which he pled guilty to a lesser possession charge (misdemeanor) and in exchange he got 2 days in jail.

A spokesperson for Bates County Circuit Court tells TMZ Sports Harris will not get credit for time served -- he must complete the 2-day sentence at a later date. No word on when he plans to turn himself in.

Harris was also sentenced to 80 hours of community service and 2 years probation and must complete an NFL drug program.

Once again ... all of this for WEEEEEEEEED.

Ex-Oakland Raiders cornerback Sean Smith was just remanded into custody to begin a 1-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to felony assault stemming from a 2017 attack in Pasadena.

As we previously reported, Smith beat the hell out of his sister's boyfriend in Old Town Pasadena on July 4 -- punching and stomping the man so badly, he suffered 5 facial fractures.

The victim required major reconstructive surgery including a metal plate under his right eye.

Smith initially pled not guilty, but eventually struck a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to felony assault by means of force likely to create great bodily injury.

In exchange, Smith got 1 year in jail and 5 years probation. The judge also told Smith he's not allowed to own a gun -- for the rest of his life. He's also ordered to pay the victim restitution.

Smith was handcuffed and taken into custody right in the courtroom to begin his sentence. He already has 1 day of credit under his belt -- so only 364 more days to go.

This is gonna be music to J.J. Watt's and Deshaun Watson's ears ... one of the greatest running backs of all time tells TMZ Sports his "dream scenario" would be to sign with the Houston Texans!

With Adrian Peterson and the Arizona Cardinals officially parting ways, we spoke with AP about his NFL future ... specifically where he wants to play next.

"Obviously, being back home would be awesome," Peterson said ... "Houston has always been a team I've thought about."

Not only was Peterson born and raised in Palestine, Texas (about 150 miles from Houston) -- he also owns a famous 10,500 square foot mansion in the Houston area.

"Being back here at home where I work out every day. My family is here. My family is close. My mom is here. Being around her a little more during this time [in my life] would be even more a cherry on top."

Peterson says it doesn't hurt that the Texans are stacked on both sides of the ball.

"The defense is incredible, obviously. Good division to be in. Good young quarterback, receivers, Hopkins! It's a lot of talent there as well."

The hole for Houston seems to be the running back spot -- no one on the team rushed for more than 900 yards last year.

Your move, Texans ...

O.J. Simpson's confession about killing Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman isn't rattling the manager of one of his new fave hangouts in Nevada ... TMZ has learned.

Simpson's become a frequent customer at Nekter Juice Bar in Summerlin, and a manager there tells us O.J.'s free to continue coming in ... after his bombshell interview on the FOX special, "O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?"

The guy hasn't seen the two-hour special yet, but he says it wouldn't matter -- as long as Simpson's a paying customer, he's welcome at Nekter.

The manager tells us he refuses to treat Simpson differently from his other customers, and says the only reason O.J. wouldn't be welcome is if he started getting rude, rowdy or threatening with staff or guests.

Broncos DE Adam Gotsis was arrested in Atlanta last week for allegedly raping a woman when he was a player at Georgia Tech in 2013.

According to the incident report, the woman -- now 30 -- claims Gotsis "placed his penis in her vagina against her will" on the night of March 9, 2013.

The alleged victim did not file a report until February 1, 2018. It's unclear why she waited nearly 5 years.

Gotsis turned himself in to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office on March 7 ... and was released the same day on a $50,000 bond.

The Broncos released the following statement ... “We were recently informed of an investigation into an alleged incident involving Adam Gotsis that occurred in 2013 when he was in college."

"Our organization was aware of his arrest on March 7, and it is our understanding that no determination has been made at this time as to whether any charges will be filed."

"The Broncos take an accusation of this nature very seriously and will continue to closely monitor the legal proceedings. This issue was promptly reported to the NFL as soon as we learned of it, and we will remain in communication with the league office regarding this matter."

Gotsis was a 2nd-round pick for Denver in 2016. He played in all 16 games for the Broncos last season, making 13 starts.

Aldon Smith isn't exactly rolling over in his domestic violence case -- the embattled NFL star just pled not guilty to assault charges stemming from a March 3 incident involving his fiancee.

Smith was hit with 4 misdemeanor charges -- domestic violence, assault w/ force likely to produce great bodily injury, false imprisonment and vandalism.

Smith's fiancee previously told us the NFL player bit her during an alcohol-fueled rage. He checked himself into a rehab center the very next day.

Now, San Francisco District Attorney spokesperson Alex Bastian tells us Smith appeared in court Monday for his arraignment and pled not guilty.