NFL

Josh Gordon's very strange 6 years with the Cleveland Browns have gone up in smoke ... the team just decided to release him.

Browns GM John Dorsey issued a statement Saturday, saying ... "This afternoon we informed Josh Gordon and his representatives that we are going to release him on Monday."

Dorsey added ... "For the past six years the Browns have fully supported and invested in Josh, both personally and professionally and wanted the best for him, but unfortunately we've reached a point where we feel it's best to part ways and move forward. We wish Josh well."

Earlier Saturday, Cleveland ruled Gordon out for Sunday's game against the Saints with a hamstring injury. Josh played week 1 in the tie game against the Steelers, making a single catch for a TD.

It's interesting -- Gordon missed the start of Browns camp as he continued to receive treatment for issues that kept him out of the NFL entirely in 2015 and 2016, but he returned before preseason ended and was expected to be one of their top receivers this year.

It's unclear if there was a major incident that led to the Browns' decision, but it's being reported that he showed up late to the team facility Saturday and was "not himself." Team docs were allegedly concerned he may have been struggling with substance use again.

As we reported ... he's also in the midst of a child support war and could be flirting with jail time if he doesn't get it straightened out

Alex Smith is gonna make you a LOT of money this weekend -- if you put your cash on the Redskins to beat up the Colts ... so says Cousin Sal.

Sal's now a pro gambling adviser on FS1's new show, "Lock It In" -- so, with the NFL entering Week 2, we asked for a freebie.

And, why's he so confident Washington will cover the 6-point spread over Indy?

Two words -- Alex. Smith.

"Alex Smith is gonna expose [the Indianapolis defense]. I think he throws for like 2 or 3 TDs. They're gonna win like 30 to 13.

By the way, Sal is Jimmy Kimmel's real-life cousin (hence the name Cousin Sal) -- and the two have been making friendly wagers with their pal, Bill Simmons, for years.

And, what do they bet on? Everything from inappropriate Al Michaels comments to "Dancing with the Stars."

Everyone wants to know ... did Michael Irvin and Steve Smith throw fists after their heated smack talk session on "NFL Network" Thursday night???

Michael tells TMZ Sports ... when the cameras shut off, it was definitely more love than war -- but their dispute ain't over yet.

The whole thing started during the TNF pregame show -- Smith was offended when Michael said the Ravens haven't had a solid go-to WR since Anquan Boldin.

Smith shot back saying his stats (and his route running!!) dominated Irvin's -- and at one point, it seemed like the two might come to blows!!!

So, what happened after the show? Irvin says the two made peace ... sorta.

"Steve and I are great. I love Steve," Michael tells TMZ Sports ... "He's a competitor."

"He's a good friend but [being on the NFL Network pregame show] is also like a locker room."

Irvin also made it clear Smith's allegation that he wasn't a master route runner is B.S.

"I was pure route runner ... I ran routes that ended up in championships! That's all I keep telling people."

"Don't talk about how many receptions everybody had. Tell me about how many championships because that's all we're playing the game for."

"I understand you got those many receptions," Irvin said referencing Smith's impressive career stats ... "but I got the ring-a-ring-a-ring!!!"

Johnny Manziel hasn't played a snap of football since he was placed in concussion protocol a month ago ... but Eric Dickerson says the CFL QB needs to trust the process and "don't rush back" to the field.

TMZ Sports spoke with the L.A. Rams legend -- who says he's a fan of Johnny's and even golfed with him in the past -- about the Heisman winner getting sidelined after a vicious hit he took in a 24-17 loss to Ottawa on August 11.

"A concussion is serious. They take it more serious these days than when we played," Dickerson says.

Johnny vocalized his frustration to reporters on Thursday ... saying he feels like he's ready to get back on the field, but wonders if the team still believes in him.

"If the club had faith in me, I feel like I would be the guy ... I feel like I would've been the guy after I came back from the concussion,'' Johnny said.

"That hasn't happened. So, I need to continue to get out here. And, it's the hardest part about missing practice, I need these reps to try to leave as little doubt as possible in my ability to play.''

Jerry Jones says his Jay-Z and Beyonce concert date with Dez Bryant was strictly bro time ... insisting the 2 didn't talk about football at all during the show.

Jones and Bryant caused a stir when they were spotted hanging out at the Dallas stop of the On the Run II tour ... leading people to believe a possible Cowboys reunion was in the works.

But J.J. says that's just not true ... revealing he's tight with a lot of his former players -- and Dez's dramatic exit from the team hasn't affected their friendship one bit.

"We didn't talk about football," Jones told the GBag Nation on 105.3 the Fan. "With Dez, that's not uncommon."

"With Dez, a nice percentage of our conversations over the years football didn't come up, and we had other things to talk about."

Jerry added he wasn't surprised to run into his former WR1 at the show, either ... saying "I knew he was going to be there. It would have been a surprise for him not to be there."

The greatest running back of all time, a future Hall of Fame tight end and a Super Bowl-winning pass rusher met up Thursday night ... and guess what they talked about??

DANCING!!!!!!

It's true ... Dallas Cowboys legends Emmitt Smith and Jason Witten caught up with DeMarcus Ware -- and instead of football talk, D-Ware wanted advice on his two-step.

If you're wondering why ... it's 'cause Ware's a new contestant on the new season of "Dancing With The Stars" -- and Smith was a former winner on the show.

As for Witten, not too sure why his dancing advice was necessary -- but Ware got it anyway!!

Sooooooo ... what were their messages to the newly-minted, 6-foot-4, 258-pound ballerina??

"Get them toes pointed in the right direction," Emmitt says.

Witten added, "Don't treat it like a pass rush!!"

That Erin Andrews can let the dogs out is a mini-miracle ... and the wizard behind that magic is Cesar Millan.

We got the "NFL on FOX" star reporter Wednesday at LAX and had to ask about calling in the Dog Whisperer of all Dog Whisperers. Seems her pooch, Howard the Golden Retriever, had some issues with leash aggression.

Cesar's been working with Howard for a few weeks now and as Erin tells it ... the good boy's not the only one in need of some dog training.

School's also in session for beloved dog owners ... like her and hubby Jarret Stoll. Check it out ... Erin can't get enough of Cesar ... praising the hell outta the guy.

TMZ Sports has obtained Richie Incognito's arrest video -- showing cops running up on the NFL lineman after he allegedly threatened to shoot staffers at an Arizona funeral home in the wake of his dad's death.

It all went down on August 20 -- the footage begins with a staffer telling cops Incognito was bullying people in the mortuary and "threatened one of our funeral directors."

When cops entered the place, Richie was already face down on the floor -- and attempting to cooperate with police. But, things got very weird a short time later.

One cop told Incognito, "Don't do anything stupid, okay? Put your hands behind your back."

Richie was adamant he did nothing wrong and didn't threaten anyone -- but there are super bizarre moments in the full 50-minute footage where Incognito seems totally out of it and contradicts himself several times.

He goes from totally calm and lucid to angry and screaming in a matter of seconds -- before returning back to calm and friendly.

He tells cops he's not on meds -- and then tells them he is. He says he's never been arrested before and then tells cops he's been arrested several times.

Richie also says he didn't cause any trouble but admits he's been emotional over the death of his father.

Scottsdale PD couldn't have been nicer to Richie -- keeping him calm, getting him water and getting a large van to transport him to jail because he wouldn't fit in the standard squad car.

They even said a prayer over him while he was in handcuffs.

Richie told police he had guns in his truck -- which officials later found and confiscated.

Rev. Jesse Jackson has a message for all the Colin Kaepernick haters -- Tim Tebow took a knee too ... and nobody had a problem with that!

We got Jesse leaving Reagan International Airport this week when he used the ex-Heisman Trophy winner to explain what he believes is the hypocrisy surrounding the outrage directed at Kaepernick.

"It's interesting that when Tim Tebow took a knee, it was accepted," Jesse tells TMZ Sports.

"Kaepernick takes a knee and he's rejected. Both of them took a knee in protest of what they believed in. One was religion. One was for justice. Okay."

Remember ... Tim used to take knees prior to every game -- albeit not DURING the national anthem -- and it was so widely praised, a social media meme came of it.

The Colin Kaepernick haters will have to address him as a Hall of Famer now ... 'cause the ex-NFL superstar is going into his old high school's HOF in November!!

Pitman High School -- the Turlock, Calif. program Colin beasted for in football, basketball and baseball -- announced it's giving Kaep its highest honor on Nov. 3.

“Colin was chosen, like all the others, for their contribution to the history of athletes here at Pitman,” the school's A.D., Dave Wells, tells KCRA.

“Of course, he was an outstanding athlete and a three-sport star.”

It's sure to ruffle some feathers -- given anything involving Kaep since he knelt during the national anthem does -- but a former Turlock mayor says none of that minimizes what he did for the H.S.

"Colin Kaepernick still has much respect,” says John Lazar, who also once gave Kaep a key to the city of Turlock.

“Although citizens differ on his approach, he is still a proud son of Turlock.”

FYI ... Colin led his high school to its first-ever playoff win as a senior -- AND was nominated as an All-State player in hoops, football and baseball that same year.

Check out some of his high school highlights -- dude was HUGE!!

To the left, to the left ... there's Jerry Jones sitting in a box to the left -- OF DEZ BRYANT!!!!

No, this isn't some old pic taken during happier times -- this was shot at the Beyonce concert at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on TUESDAY NIGHT!!!

Dez and the Cowboys owner were sitting in the same VIP box at AT&T Stadium (aka Jerry World) and the two looked to be on good terms.

Interesting, considering the Cowboys released Dez back in April and there's definitely been some animosity between the WR and the organization ever since.

So, we reached out to Dez to find out if he's squashed the beef with his former boss and he told us, "Me and Jerry was never on bad terms."

We also asked if there was a chance that he could sign a new contract with the Cowboys and return to his old squad ... but that's when Dez went radio silent on us.

Of course, the Cowboys could use a playmaker right now -- the offense looked pretty bad over the weekend.

Is this the first step toward a reunion? Stay tuned ...

Forget an iced latte, Stefon Diggs just got an iced out Starbucks chain -- and it's all because the dude is OBSESSED with the coffee house ... TMZ Sports has learned.

In case you didn't know ... the Minnesota Vikings star WR is a self-proclaimed Starbucks addict (he even wore Starbucks-themed cleats against Seattle last season).

But, Diggs decided to take it one step further ... hitting up Al the Jeweler from Labelle Jewelry in Totowa, NJ to create a diamond-studded tribute to the java joint.

Al tells TMZ Sports the piece -- which features more than 1,000 emeralds and VS diamonds -- took over a month to complete. We're told Diggs loved the finished product more than an espresso macchiato (and who doesn't love those?).

Al -- who works with huge stars like Jarvis Landry and Terrance Williams (to name a few) -- was tight-lipped on how much Diggs spent on the chain ... but our sources estimate it to be around $15k.

Oh, and we're also told one of the reasons Stefon got the piece was because, like Starbucks, he's "open all day."

#TreatYoSelf

Richie Incognito says he didn't threaten to shoot ANYONE during a heated incident at an Arizona funeral home back in August ... but admits he "lost his cool" after his father's death.

As we previously reported, cops swarmed Messinger Mortuary on August 20 after staffers secretly called 911 and said Incognito had ordered them to "cut his dad's head off for research purposes." They also claim Richie threatened to shoot the funeral director. Police say they found guns in his truck.

Now, Incognito is finally breaking his silence ... apologizing to his fans while maintaining his innocence.

“I just want to apologize to all my fans, and the people of the Bills Mafia, the Rams, the Dolphins, the University of Nebraska, all these people that have supported me. I let em down," Richie told Pat McAfee on his podcast.

"I AM NOT GUILTY. And you know the court process will play itself out. But I feel like I let everybody down. I lost my cool with my father passing. And I feel confident that I will be vindicated in the court process or whatever the heck we’re in right now.”

Raiders legend Bill Romanowski says he's got a bad taste in his mouth over the Khalil Mack trade ... telling TMZ Sports Oakland's gonna REALLY regret giving Mack away.

"This is a guy that comes around, like a Lawrence Taylor, once in a lifetime," Romo says.

Remember ... Khalil and Jon Gruden never even spoke after Chuckie took the head coaching job -- and Gruden decided to punt the All-Pro to the Bears instead of working with him earlier this month.

Mack's first game with Chicago went well -- a sack, a pick AND a TD -- and Romanowski isn't at all surprised that the Raiders are feeling some immediate remorse.

In fact ... Bill seems downright pissed over the move -- even questioning how Oakland was able to get Derek Carr's mega deal done so quickly but couldn't get one for Mack.

"For Raider nation, you got one of the best defensive players in the National Football League -- figure out a way!" Bill says.

"Hey, you got Carr signed, figure out a way to get this guy signed!"

Probably safe to assume Le'Veon Bell ain't coming back to the Steelers this week ... 'cause dude seems pretty busy livin' it up in Miami -- HITTING THE CLUB UNTIL EARLY TUESDAY MORNING!!

TMZ Sports has learned the star running back partied it up at Rockwell in South Beach ... and wasn't shy about it -- kickin' back at the DJ booth and taking pics with clubgoers.

We're told the Pittsburgh RB got there around midnight Monday and didn't leave until the wee hours of the morning Tuesday. He also partied at Gold Rush Cabaret Saturday night with friends.

Sources say he did look to be in great shape ... so at least there's that, Pittsburgh fans.

ICYMI ... Bell's been a no-show at Steelers practices AND at Sunday's game against the Browns as he continues to look for a mega deal from the team.

The Steelers are hosting the Kansas City Chiefs in Pittsburgh on Sunday. No word if Bell plans to be there. Hell, he might still be in Florida for all we know.

By the way ... this ain't the first time Bell's partied the night away instead of practicing with his teammates -- remember when he slapped all that butt at the booty club during training camp!?

Nothing would make Tiki Barber happier than to see Saquon Barkley break his NY rushing record this season ... 'CAUSE IT WOULD MEAN HIS GIANTS WOULDN'T SUCK ANYMORE!!

"If he breaks my records, then that means good things," the NY legend tells TMZ Sports.

Tiki holds a grip of Giants records ... but it's his 1,860-yard, single-season rushing total that many have said could be within reach for Barkley by season's end.

And, if you think Barber is secretly hoping the star rookie falls short of that ... you'd be wrong.

"That means good things for the New York Giants," Tiki says.

Barber's ex-teammate, Amani Toomer, seems to think it's certainly possible the record falls this year ... 'cause the ex-receiver tells us Saquon was undoubtedly the most impressive NFL rookie of Week 1!!