NFL

The man who shot and killed ex-NFL player Joe McKnight is out of jail -- he's been moved to a federal prison outside New Orleans, TMZ Sports has learned.

56-year-old Ronald Gasser was transferred from Jefferson Parish Jail to the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center -- which we're told is considered a federal prison.

Gasser was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 30 years for shooting and killing McKnight during a 2016 road rage incident.

The prison opened in 2015 and reportedly cost around $118 million -- and boasts state-of-the-art technology including biometric locks that allow staffers to use their fingerprints to open certain doors.

Blake Bortles -- along with 2 of his Jacksonville Jaguars teammates -- stopped an alleged thief from stealing the QB's truck from a Florida house party ... cops say.

It all went down late Wednesday night ... Blake and Jags lineman Chris Reed were all at a party at the Jacksonville Beach home of offensive lineman Brandon Linder when they noticed a strange young man skulking around the house.

Once the guys realized he wasn't an invited party guest ... they tracked him down inside the home, stopped him and called police.

This is where things got crazy ... cops checked the surveillance video from the home and saw the man walk up from the street and get into Blake's black Ford F-150 truck, which was unlocked with the keys inside.

Footage allegedly shows the suspect stealing Blake's wallet -- and then attempting to leave with the truck ... but he was boxed in by other cars and couldn't get out.

The video shows the man -- 18-year-old Joseph Horton -- going back inside Linder's house ... and that's when the players stopped him and held him until police arrived.

Michael Irvin says if Matt Patricia is telling the truth ... there's NOTHING in the world worse than being falsely accused of rape.

Irvin would know ... he was accused of sexually assaulting a 27-year-old woman in Florida hotel back in 2017. Irvin adamantly denied the allegations and prosecutors ultimately dropped the case.

Now, with Patricia denying all wrongdoing in his 1996 sexual assault case -- we asked Irvin for his thoughts.

"It's the worst thing in the world to have to go through when you are falsely accused of anything," Irvin said.

Bill Belichick says the New England Patriots didn't know about Matt Patricia's 1996 rape case ... but he's voicing his support for the Detroit Lions head coach.

"The New England Patriots were not aware of the matter which recently came to light," Belichick said Thursday.

"For 14 years in our organization, Matt conducted himself with great integrity and is known to be an outstanding coach, person and family man. We have always been confident in Matt’s character and recommended him highly to become the head coach of the Detroit Lions."

Patricia and a college football teammate were accused of raping a 21-year-old woman 22 years ago during a spring break trip to South Padre Island, off the coast of Texas.

Patricia publicly denied the allegations on Thursday, saying "I was innocent then and I'm innocent now."

Cops have arrested the final suspect in the Rob Gronkowski home burglary case ... making it the 3rd person busted for allegedly raiding the NFL star's home while he was playing in the Super Bowl.

As we previously reported, Gronk's Boston-area home was hit in February while the Patriots were in Minnesota to play the Philadelphia Eagles.

Cops say the burglars stole an Apple Watch, a Rolex, 2 rare coins and multiple firearms.

Two suspects had already been arrested back in March -- but now officials say a 3rd man was taken into custody in Maine.

26-year-old Shayne Denn was wanted for breaking and entering, 3 counts of larceny of a firearm, larceny more than $250.00, malicious destruction of property and trespassing.

Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia says he's had to live with the "mental torture" of being falsely accused of rape 22 years ago ... but insists, "I was innocent then and I'm innocent now."

The background ... Patricia and a college football teammate were accused of raping a 21-year-old woman in 1996 during a spring break trip to South Padre Island, off the coast of Texas.

He was indicted, but the case was eventually dismissed.

Patricia just addressed the media about the case -- and stated over and over again that he was NOT convicted of a crime.

"There were claims made about me that never happened," Patricia said.

He noted it was "unfair and upsetting" that someone would bring this case back up more than 20 years after it was dismissed.

Patricia says he did not volunteer information about the case to the Lions during the interview process for the head coaching job -- but has never lied about the case when asked about it.

Patricia's position is clear ... since he wasn't convicted of a crime, he felt no obligation to disclose that he was falsely accused of anything.

As far as his job status, "I'm 100% the head coach of the Detroit Lions."

Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia says he was falsely accused of raping a woman in Texas back in 1996 ... and says it's "unfair" the allegations have resurfaced in the media.

Patricia is responding to a report by the Detroit News, which found court records showing Patricia was indicted by a grand jury on one count of aggravated sexual assault in 1996.

According to the report, Patricia -- then 21 years old -- was with another Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute football player during a South Padre Island spring break trip ... when they burst into a hotel room and sexually assualted a 21-year-old woman.

Despite the criminal charge, the case never went to trial and it was eventually dismissed. Patricia went on to become one of Bill Belichick's most trusted assistant coaches with the New England Patriots.

Now, Patricia -- along with the top Detroit Lions execs -- issued a statement saying the allegations were BS in the first place.

"As someone who was falsely accused of this very serious charge over 22 years ago, and never given the opportunity to defend myself and clear my name, I find it incredibly unfair, disappointing, and frustrating that this story would resurface now with the only purpose being to damage my character and reputation."

"I firmly maintain my innocence, as I have always done. I would never condone any of the behavior that was alleged and will always respect and protect the rights of anyone who has been harassed or is the victim of violence."

Antonio Gates is getting some career advice from his friend and former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson -- hang it up.

After 15 seasons with the Chargers, the team has cut ties with the 37-year-old tight end -- and he still hasn't been picked up by another squad.

So, when we saw LT -- who played 7 seasons with Gates in San Diego -- we asked if he thinks it's time for #85 to ride off into the sunset.

"I think he should retire a Charger," Tomlinson said ... "I definitely think he still can play, though."

"[Gates] became known as one of the greatest Chargers ever. I would hate to see him put on another uniform. It just doesn't seem right."

Interesting advice coming from Tomlinson, who played his final 2 seasons with the NY Jets after a legendary 9-year run with the Bolts.

Maybe he's speaking from experience ...

Oakland Raiders star lineman Donald Penn will NOT be charged with a crime stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Penn was named a suspect in an April 29 incident when cops were called to his L.A. home to respond to a call about an altercation with his wife.

Cops were told Penn got handsy and, at one point, he allegedly poured a drink on her head.

Later, both Penn and his wife denied the altercation ever turned physical.

The case was kicked over to the L.A. City Attorney's Office which ultimately decided to NOT move forward with charges against Penn.

"The office rejected this case because of lack of corroboration and on the ground that there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction on the domestic violence matter," a spokesperson says.

"Bottom line, lack of sufficient evidence."

Listen up, Dez Bryant ... Nuggets guard Devin Harris is about to give you pro athlete to pro athlete advice on where you should end up, now that your time with the Cowboys is over.

Harris played in Dallas for YEARS and knows what it's like to leave big D behind, so when we got him in Beverly Hills we wanted to know if he had any potential landing spots in mind for Dez.

Devin says he has the perfect team ... and while you're gonna have to watch to see what he says, we'll be kind enough to give you some hints.

Hall of Fame QB (1st ballot lock) ... Bryant already has history there (infamous moment) ... he'll need some heavier coats if it happens ... and lastly, it's a spot close to Harris' heart.

Victor Cruz says he still wants to play in the NFL -- and he's got a team in mind ... the New York Giants!

The 31-year-old wide receiver hasn't taken a regular season snap since 2016 -- but at the BTIG Charity Day event in NYC, he made it very clear he doesn't want to retire yet.

Of course, Cruz's exit from the Giants wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows -- he accused the team of icing him out of the offense in 2016 to keep his stats down so it would be easier to cut him.

"And if I played well, they were due to -- they owed me a ton of money that next year so it was like ... let's get Cruz off the books," he said last year on the Breakfast Club.

11:19 AM PT -- Manziel addressed the incident on social media, saying ... "Thank you everyone for your concern and kind messages. Unfortunately I had a reaction to an increased dosage in Lithium which I take for my Bipolar disorder."

"It was a scary moment and I'm especially grateful for the staff at the hospital and all that they've done in the last 24 hours."

Johnny Manziel was hospitalized Monday night in Texas, TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources connected to the QB tell us ... he was admitted to a hospital in Humble, TX on Monday. He had been in the area to attend the JMBLYA concert with friends after playing in a golf tournament hosted by friend and former Texas A&M teammate Mike Evans.

Manziel's rep, Denise Michaels, tells us ... "It seems like he had a reaction to an adjustment in his prescription. He’s fine and headed home."

Back in February, Manziel appeared on "Good Morning America" and revealed that he suffers from bipolar disorder.

Unclear if the medication that landed him in the hospital is connected to that diagnosis.

The 25-year-old has been working on an NFL comeback over the last several months -- and according to NFL insiders, he's been doing well ... impressing scouts and team execs during workouts and Spring League games.

Dallas Cowboys rookie RB Bo Scarbrough has a message for Ezekiel Elliott -- HELP ME HELP YOU!!

The ex-Bama star was a 7th round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft -- and knows he ain't taking Zeke's starting job.

Instead, he wants to be the best #2 back in the league -- and hopes Zeke's down to help him get that spot.

"Man, I just hope Zeke ... help your boy out," Scarbrough told TMZ Sports.

"We coming in, work together. We trying to win, we trying to be the best duo that ever came through in NFL history."

Scarbrough has all the tools to be a stud in the league -- he's 6'1", 228 lbs and ran a blazing 4.52 in the 40-yard dash at the combine, the 6th fastest time for a running back.

And get this ... Scarbrough spotted Terrell Owens at LAX, and it turns out they already know each other because Bo was just working out with T.O. and Julio Jones just a few days ago!

In fact, Owens even dished out some advice for Scarbrough on how to make it in the NFL.

That's Hall of Fame advice, Bo ... better listen up!

This is amazing ... ex-NFL running back Isaiah Pead hit the track in Oklahoma for his first running workout with his prosthetic leg -- AND HE KILLED IT!!

The 28-year-old lost most of his left leg in a Nov. 2016 car accident -- but he finally got a running prosthesis and on Monday afternoon, he decided to test it out.

You gotta watch the video ... Pead is nothing short of impressive.

Remember, Pead only got the new leg on Friday and could barely walk in it at first. Just a few days later he's running windsprints.

Yeah, he fell down during one of the drills (adjusting to a prosthetic leg ain't easy) -- but he got right back up and continued the drill.

We spoke with Pead who tells us it was great to get out there and run again. He acknowledged learning how to run with the new leg is challenging, but he's up to the task.

Pead previously told TMZ Sports his goal is to compete in the Paralympics and win some gold medals -- looks like he's off to a good start.

The NFL Players Association believes the Cincinnati Bengals violated league policy by trying to get Eric Reid to agree to stop kneeling in exchange for a possible contract.

It's all part of a new grievance the NFLPA filed on behalf of Reid -- who believes he's being blackballed for taking a knee during the national anthem in the 2017 season.

Reid met with the Bengals on April 9 and was reportedly asked if he would kneel during the 2018 season. According to reports, Reid refused to answer the question. He ultimately did NOT get a contract offer.

Enter the NFL Players Association which is saying Reid is getting screwed because the NFL has NO league rule prohibiting players from demonstrating during the national anthem and teams that try to stop them are in violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

In fact, the NFLPA obviously references the Bengals in a news release ... though it doesn't call them out by name.

"According to our information, a club appears to have based its decision not to sign a player based on the player’s statement that he would challenge the implementation of a club’s policy prohibiting demonstration, which is contrary to the League policy."

The situation sounds VERY similar to what Colin Kaepernick went through with the Seattle Seahawks -- which shut down a workout with the QB because he would not agree to stop kneeling.

Kaep and Reid are repped by the same attorneys -- Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas -- who issued this statement:

"Colin and Eric have taken courageous action at the expense of their professional careers and personal lives. They did these selfless acts because they wanted to shine light on inequity and oppression."

Listen up, rookies ... ex-NFL star Andre Rison is shelling out some VERY valuable advice on how to NOT go broke like he did ... telling TMZ Sports what he wishes he'd done during his playing days.

FYI -- the former 1st-round pick made more than $20 MILLION during his 11-year career -- but ended up filing for bankruptcy in 2007 after years of spending his earnings on jewelry and partying.

Rison says it's a "drastic change" for these young players to become rich basically overnight ... and says focusing on your closest family and friends is important, but it should end there.

"Remain loyal to the people that helped you get to that point, no doubt ... but you don't owe anything to anybody, really," Rison says.

Rison says rookies gotta handle their business on AND off the field ... which means getting in touch with the right representation and people who know how to handle that much money.

There's more ... we also talked to Rison about whether Dez Bryant can be an elite receiver ... and you're gonna want to check out his answer.