NFL

Cleveland Browns star linebacker Mychal Kendricks has admitted he participated in an insider trading scheme -- and now he's been hit with federal criminal charges.

Kendricks -- who was on the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl team last season -- allegedly made around $1.2 MILLION by making trades based on non-public information he got from a friend, which is illegal.

In exchange for the tips, Kendricks allegedly hooked up his friend with perks including cash, NFL tickets and a visit to a Teyana Taylor music video shoot.

Officials say Kendricks would speak with his friend using code words -- almost an acknowledgment that what he was doing was wrong.

Kendricks is facing serious prison time if convicted.

Seems the 27-year-old's strategy is to comply with officials and cut a plea deal because he's already publicly admitted to the crime.

"I would like to apologize," Kendricks said in a statement Wednesday morning ... "Four years ago, I participated in insider trading, and I deeply regret it."

"I invested money with a former friend of mine who I thought I could trust and who I greatly admired. His background as a Harvard graduate and an employee of Goldman Sachs gave me a false sense of confidence."

"While I didn’t fully understand all of the details of the illegal trades, I knew it was wrong, and I wholeheartedly regret my actions."

Kendricks says he's been cooperating with authorities and will "accept full responsibility for my actions."

"Although I did not take any of the profits for myself, I am committed to repaying all of the funds gained illegally and accept the consequences of my actions."

The Browns have just announced Kendricks will not make the trip to Detroit for the final preseason game on Thursday.

A 22-year-old woman claims she was raped in an apartment where 2 Cleveland Browns players live -- telling police a friend of tight end David Njoku had sex with her after she fell asleep at their pad.

Njoku is NOT accused of any wrongdoing but has been interviewed by police over the incident.

According to the police report, the woman claims she went to the upscale downtown Cleveland apartment complex where Njoku lives with WR Rashard Higgins early Saturday morning after a night of drinking with her friends.

The woman claims she fell asleep in Higgins' bed, but when she woke up a 3rd man -- Kashwayne Nelson -- was having sex with her. She immediately tried to call 911 but Nelson allegedly pulled the phone away and grabbed her by the hair.

The woman says she managed to leave the apartment and later got in touch with police.

When cops arrived, they spoke with Higgins -- who said he had hooked up with the accuser earlier that night but had left the apartment because he couldn't sleep.

While Higgins was out of the apt., Nelson allegedly snuck in and raped the woman.

Cops also spoke with Njoku -- who acknowledged Nelson is his friend who also lives in the apartment -- but Njoku says he was in his bedroom the entire evening and didn't know anything about the incident.

Ultimately, cops arrested Nelson on suspicion of rape. Cops also say he gave them a fake ID when asked for identification -- so he was also booked for obstruction of justice.

The Browns issued a statement to Ohio.com saying, "Rashard immediately notified us of the situation and he and David fully cooperated with the police while being interviewed."

Ex-NFL star Arian Foster says Beto O'Rourke isn't some flash in the pan viral video star -- he's WAY more impressive than that NFL kneeling video shows ... and that's saying A LOT.

O'Rourke is running for senator in Texas against Ted Cruz -- and his popularity exploded last week after footage surfaced showing him explaining why he supports the NFL kneelers.

Foster -- who played for the Houston Texans and still lives there -- went out and met with O'Rourke last week because they had a mutual friend and he wanted to see what Beto was all about.

Important to note that Foster doesn't identify himself with ANY political party -- but says he's decided to throw his support behind Beto after hearing his policy ideas ... ideas that are specifically beneficial to the black community.

"He's for criminal justice reform. He's for accountability for police officers ... even deeper than that, some of the things he wants to do with education, he wants to fund inner city schools."

Foster noted, "He's extremely to the point. He answers your questions and it's substantive."

Arian also says he's 100% in agreement with Beto when it comes to his stance on the NFL kneelers -- agreeing that players trying to shine a spotlight on injustice are acting in a patriotic fashion.

As Beto said in his viral speech -- "I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, anytime, anywhere, any place."

Tons of athletes besides Arian are also supporting Beto after seeing that video -- including LeBron James and Reggie Bush.

Meanwhile, Ted Cruz has attacked Beto over the speech -- saying Beto's views are disrespectful to U.S. military personnel and are not in sync with the majority of Texans.

Arian acknowledges that is was risky for Beto to take such a strong stand on the anthem issue -- but says he respects O'Rourke even more for doing so.

"Really it's like a make or break for him honestly. Because this is a red state, Texas, and you have some people who love that, and some people who hate that."

Johnny Manziel says he was initially EXCITED about being drafted by the Browns -- but when he finally got to Cleveland ... all he wanted to do was leave.

"Once I landed and went to Berea, Ohio for the first time, I was like, 'Can I go back to college?'"

"I don't know anybody, I don't know where I'm at. It's cold. I don't like it," Manziel told Kevin Hart while taking an ice bath on his show, "Cold as Balls."

Manziel opens up like a book to Hart -- talking about everything from his drug use in college to wanting kids with his new wife, Bre Tiesi.

On the drug topic, Manziel said while playing at Texas A&M he felt like "I was the guy who had to party to be able to play good."

Manziel said he later realized he didn't like who he had become and wanted to change his life for the better.

"I'm at a point now where I can look back, I can reflect and realize that I was one way -- that was wrong. What can I do moving forward? Because I can't change how I was."

"That's all I can do and just try to stack enough good days together and stack enough things together to get back to where I wanna be."

Johnny says he's determined to work his way back to the NFL.

He also farted during the interview.

Fresh off kickin' Deji's ass... Jake Paul is already getting challenged to step back into the ring ... by All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant.

Dez apparently tried to congratulate Jake's brother, Logan, via Twitter DMs on his fight with KSI ... except he got the 2 Paul's confused and accidentally messaged Jake.

After Dez explained the mistake, Jake clapped back by congratulating the current free agent on his massive contract extension ... pretending to mix Bryant with L.A. Rams superstar Todd Gurley, who just signed a 4-yr., $57.5 mil contract this past July.

Jake (who happens to be a Cleveland Browns fan) made the interaction public ... saying "Dez Bryant don’t want the smoke💨 & no team wants Dez Bryant!! GO BROWNS!!"

When Dez was asked about Jake, he said "I guess he called himself trying to clown..we can get in the boxing ring tho if he want smoke."

Of course, Jake just got done beating up on Deji this past Saturday ... and proceeded to call out Chris Brown as his next opponent.

9:03 PM PT -- EA Sports has made the decision to cancel all 3 remaining Madden NFL 19 tournament qualifying events. A rep for the company tells TMZ, "We have made a decision to cancel our three remaining Madden Classic qualifier events while we run a comprehensive review of safety protocols for competitors and spectators."

The statement continues, "We will work with our partners and our internal teams to establish a consistent level of security al all of our competitive gaming events.

The next Madden NFL 19 tournament is going on as scheduled, days after the shooting in Florida, but organizers are making major changes ... TMZ has learned.

Dennis C. Wiltshire -- a rep for FIAD Entertainment Group, which is putting on the EA-sponsored event in Dulles, VA -- tells us, his organization had a knee-jerk reaction after hearing about Sunday's shooting in Jacksonville, FL that left 3 people dead, and many others injured.

He says within minutes, they started scrambling to beef up security for their event which is going down Saturday and Sunday. Wiltshire says their efforts included contacting local law enforcement and their independent security contractors for the event. The Madden tourney will be part of a larger gaming convention called GEXCon.

Wiltshire tells us, in addition to ramped-up security and police officers on site, they've strictly prohibited all guns inside the event. He wouldn't comment on specifics of security screenings, to avoid tipping their hand to the public. BTW ... Virginia's an open carry state.

As we reported ... police say 24-year-old David Katz opened fire Sunday, injuring 11 people and killing 2 others before shooting himself. Audio of the opening shots were broadcast live.

A moment of silence is being planned for the Virginia tournament. Wiltshire says EA has yet to reach out to offer any official guidance on how to proceed.

Originally Published -- 9:52 AM PDT

Ever try doing your job while an NFL superstar farts in your face?

That's what happened to the guy testing Antonio Brown's body fat percentage on Monday -- who weathered ass rip after ass rip while trying to administer the test.

Dude must have a nose of steel -- because he was unfazed by the Pittsburgh Steelers' WR's overactive butthole.

In the end, the test showed Brown has 3% body fat -- which the fart-enduring administrator described as "pretty f**king good."

As for Antonio, he chalked up his gas problems to having too much fiber in his diet.

Brown returned to practice with the Steelers on Monday and looked pretty good catching balls from Ben Roethlisberger.

AB had missed some time after suffering an injury to his quad -- but he appears to be doing much better now.

The Steelers have their final preseason game on Thursday -- playing the Panthers in a final dress rehearsal. Don't expect Brown to take any snaps though.

Tony Gonzalez says if he were in Antonio Gates' cleats ... the pair would be hung up in the closet for good -- 'cause the ex-NFL superstar says he'd retire if he were A.G.!!

"I'd probably be done," he says.

Remember ... the Chargers cut ties with the superstar tight end this offseason -- but after Hunter Henry's knee injury, there were rumors L.A. could bring him back.

With just over a week until the regular season begins ... that doesn't seem like it's happening -- and Gonzalez tells us that would spell the end of his career if he were Antonio.

"I probably [would hang them up], but that's me," Tony says.

Odell Beckham, you're about to sign the largest contract extension for a WR in the history of the NFL -- what are you gonna do next??

Forget Disneyland, Odell just had a locker room dance party with Sterling Shepard while bumping "For The Love Of Money" by The O'Jays.

... and it's awesome!!!

Odell is reportedly about to finalize his new deal with the New York Giants -- a 5-year deal worth up to $95 MILLION with $65 guaranteed, according to ESPN and NFL Network.

For perspective ... the largest WR contracts are currently held by guys like Antonio Brown (4-years, $68 mil) and Mike Evans (5-years worth up to $82.5 million).

Think Odell's happy about it? Judging by the video, he's over the moon -- dude is dancing like he just won the lottery ... and he kinda just did!

Ex-NFL running back Marcel Shipp just caught a huge break in his domestic violence case ... 'cause the charges were dropped after a key witness failed to show in court Monday ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Shipp -- a former Cardinals RB from 2001 to 2007 -- was facing over a year in prison after he allegedly got physical with a woman on a sidewalk in downtown Scottsdale in February.

40-year-old Shipp was hit with 3 misdemeanor charges -- including assault and disorderly conduct.

A hearing in the case was scheduled for Monday morning -- but the key witness was a no-show, prosecutors say.

Officials wouldn't specify if the witness was in fact the alleged victim -- but it seems likely.

It's not uncommon for domestic violence victims to stop cooperating with prosecutors after the initial report. Generally speaking, prosecutors often find it difficult to get a conviction without having a cooperative accuser, so when an accuser goes M.I.A., it usually means the case has sunk.

So, what does it mean for Shipp? He's off the hook for now -- but officials say the case CAN be refiled if the witness changes course and cooperates.

Ex-NBA star Roy Hibbert is a big video gamer and was clearly upset about the tragedy at the Madden tournament in Florida ... but tells TMZ Sports don't blame violent video games, GUNS are the real issue.

"The conversation shouldn't be on video games," Hibbert says ... "It should be on the other thing. And you know what the other thing is."

24-year-old David Katz opened fire at the Madden 19 NFL tourney in Jacksonville -- killing 2 people and injuring 11 before turning the gun on himself.

Katz was reportedly furious after losing in the tournament earlier that day. Some people are pointing the finger at vide game addiction -- saying it's a real problem that drove Katz to murder.

But, Hibbert isn't buying that excuse and says he won't let the tragedy stop him or his kids from playing video games. In fact, Hibbert says he would still support his kids trying to be pro gamers, if that's what they wanted ... citing the 6-figure salaries some pro gamers are making.

As far as the shooting, officials say the FBI is involved in the investigation and President Trump has already been briefed on the situation.

The two people who were killed in the shooting have been identified as 27-year-old Taylor Robertson (winner of last season's Madden Classic) and 24-year-old Eli Clayton, a former high school football player at Calabasas High School.

Tom Brady was definitely not cool in the pocket when asked about his controversial personal trainer during a radio interview Monday morning -- and got so irritated, he hung up on the show.

Brady called in to the "Kirk & Callahan" show on WEEI in Boston when he was asked about reports that his personal trainer's relationship with the Patriots has gotten better.

Background ... Brady's been working out with Alex Guerrero for years, which has reportedly caused a rift with coach Bill Belichick.

According to multiple reports, Belichick isn't a fan of Guerrero's treatment plans -- and blocked him from traveling with the team and having sideline access in 2017.

So, when Brady appeared on the radio show Monday morning, he was asked if there was truth to reports the relationship is thawing ... and if Belichick has unblocked him from team privileges.

"I said that I don't wanna get into it," Brady said ... clearly upset.

"It's well documented the work that he and I do together."

When the radio hosts tried to ask some follow-up questions, Brady tried to politely pull the plug.

"Yeah, alright guys. Have a great day. I'll talk to you later."

You scratch Donald Trump's back, he'll scratch yours ... just ask Jim Brown -- who was just praised publicly by the President days after the NFL player went to bat for Donald during a radio interview.

Brown told "JT The Brick" he's still "really pulling for the President" after meeting with POTUS at Trump Tower right after Trump won the election back in December 2016.

Brown also said he knows supporting Trump will make him unpopular in the black community but said he believes Trump is doing "good things."

Fast forward to Monday morning ... when Trump tweeted about his old friend.

"Thank you to the great [Jim Brown] perhaps the greatest running back of all time, for your wonderful words and support."

"Since our meeting in New York, African-American UNEMPLOYMENT has reached the LOWEST LEVEL IN HISTORY. You get it!"

Trump made no mention of the NFL kneelers in the tweet, but they also share the same point of view on that issue -- firmly against it.

Over the weekend, Brown met with another outspoken Trump supporter -- Kanye West.

In fact, Trump also praised Kanye and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, while speaking at a fundraising dinner in Ohio on Friday.

"Now we're doing great and Kanye West liked me and that really lifted my -- Kanye West has some real power!" Trump said.

"He's got a good wife too, in Kim, I'll tell ya. She really is."

Trump continued to hand out compliments to his athlete friends on Monday ... praising Tiger Woods' response to questions about his relationship with POTUS.

"The Fake News Media worked hard to get Tiger Woods to say something that he didn’t want to say. Tiger wouldn’t play the game - he is very smart," Trump tweeted.

Colin Kaepernick's message will be coming to a store near you very soon ... because TMZ Sports has learned the QB has filed an application to trademark his signature "I'm With Kap" slogan for clothing.

Kap's been using the mantra since the beginning of his schism with the NFL ... with the hashtag taking off on social media, and celebrities like G-Eazy, Kenny Stills and Harry Belafonte rocking shirts bearing the slogan.

Now we've learned Kap has filed paperwork in California to own he slogan for use on shirts, hoodies, caps and other apparel.

It's an interesting move ... there's some talk that major clothing brands, like Adidas and Puma, could make a move to sign Kap in the future, so owning the trademark could mean big business for him.

It's not like he's desperate for the cash -- Kaepernick reportedly made more than $40 mil in contract money during his NFL career. Plus, he had a bunch of sponsorship deals.

But, he's been huge with philanthropy -- donating $1 mil of his own money to various charities and non-profit organizations, including his "Know Your Rights" campaign.

Ben McLemore has strong words for kneeling NFL players ... telling TMZ Sports they're not only disrespecting the nation -- but their message is getting lost in the controversy too!!

The Sacramento Kings guard opened up about the issue outside of Avenue in Hollywood ... saying he believes NFL players should follow the NBA's lead -- and stop kneeling during the anthem.

"You should always represent our nation," Ben says. "That's how I feel. I think you always should."

McLemore also says NBA players are fighting social injustice the right way ... and appears set to give a lengthy explanation on why -- but the dude gets yanked into his car by some friends!!

Asante Samuel says he doesn't need to openly campaign for the Hall of Fame ... telling TMZ Sports the facts from his career do all that talking for him!!

The ex-Patriots DB is finally eligible to be inducted into pro football's most exclusive club in 2019 -- and he says if voters are listening to his numbers, he should be in.

"The facts are the facts," he says. "If you're not going by the facts, then what are you going by?!"

What exactly are Samuel's facts?? He explains them ... and he clearly knows how his numbers stack up with some of the all-time greats.

BTW ... there's gonna be some heavy competition for spots in the '19 HOF class with Ed Reed, Champ Bailey and Tony Gonzalez all now eligible -- plus, legends like Edgerrin James, Isaac Bruce and John Lynch are also still waiting for their call.