NFL

Shirtless J.R. Smith made his return Thursday night ... and we all have Baker Mayfield to thank for it -- 'cause the Cavs star WENT CRAZY after the rookie led the Browns to a win!!!

It all went down at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland ... where J.R. had luxury box seats to see the Baker-led Browns finally win a game for the first time since 2016.

You'll remember ... the last time J.R. celebrated a massive Cleveland victory -- he went topless in public for hours ... rockin' no shirt for the entire Cavs' championship parade.

Well ... about midway through the second half of the Browns-Jets game -- J.R. promised to make another shirtless appearance if they pulled out the comeback.

And then Baker did it -- AND OFF WENT THE SHIRT!!

"It's over! Let's go! Let's go!" a topless J.R. screamed after the win. "We outchya! No shirt shorty! We out here!"

If you thought NY Jets running back Isaiah Crowell was going to take it easy on his former team on Thursday Night Football ... you thought very wrong.

Crowell just scored his second TD of the first half to the put the Jets up 14-0 over the Browns, and to celebrate ... he wiped his butt with the ball and threw it in the stands for the Cleveland fans.

That's right, it was touchdown No. 2.

Crowell spent his first 4 years in the NFL with the Browns -- enduring a 1-31 record the past 2 seasons -- before heading to the Jets this offseason.

Carlos Hyde is about to have a hell of a birthday night ... 'cause dude's about to have a baby -- then play against the New York Jets!!!

The Browns star running back is currently at a hospital in Cleveland, waiting for the birth of his child -- NFL Network's Omar Ruiz reports.

Carlos' soon-to-be-baby-mama had labor induced last night ... so the little Hyde is expected to come out any minute.

The plan from there??

HEAD TO FIRSTENERGY STADIUM TO GET THE BROWNS THEIR FIRST WIN SINCE 2016!!!

Stormy Daniels claims she was "terrified" when Ben Roethlisberger tried to kiss her during an incident in Lake Tahoe back in 2006 ... insisting she shot the QB down cold.

It's all in her book, "Full Disclosure" -- where she primarily talks about her sexual encounter with Donald Trump.

The day after she allegedly banged "The Apprentice" star, she met the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback at a VIP section of a golf course ... where Ben had been talking with Trump.

At the end of the night, Stormy claims Trump asked Ben to walk the porn star back to her hotel room -- and when they got there, he allegedly asked for a "good night kiss."

Stormy claims she turned him down -- but he pushed lightly on the door while they both stood outside and said, "Come on."

Stormy says she eventually went inside her room alone -- while Ben continued to knock on the door for several minutes before giving up and walking away.

"I was terrified," Stormy says in the book (via CNN) ... "I am rarely terrified."

We reached out to Ben's camp for comment -- so far, no word back.

It's not the first time Big Ben allegedly acted inappropriately with women in Lake Tahoe -- in 2008, a woman claimed the NFL player raped her at the Harrah's Hotel during a celebrity golf tournament.

Antonio Brown says he does NOT want to be traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers ... just days after saying the opposite on Twitter.

Brown spoke with reporters on Thursday about his now-infamous tweet ... saying he "obviously" doesn't actually want to leave the Steelers after clapping back at a tweet suggesting Ben Roethlisberger is responsible for his success.

AB84 explained he fired back at the guy who sent the tweet -- a former Steelers PR guy -- because he thought it was a personal shot.

"I'm still grateful to put on my uniform, grateful to be a part of this organization," Brown said. "I don't take that for granted. Obviously it was a stupid remark."

Brown also said he's pissed the Steelers haven't won a game yet ... but wouldn't reveal why he missed practice on Monday.

Colin Kaepernick and Tom Brady ... on the same team???

That seems to be the suggestion coming from Colin's attorney, Mark Geragos -- who's teasing to TMZ Sports that two NFL teams could be interested in signing the QB.

"I would just say, 'Stay tuned' ... that next week there may be some news."

Our guy pushed to get more information -- and Geragos started dropping hints about the 2 teams.

The first clue obviously points to the Oakland Raiders.

"I'll say this ... if Al Davis was still alive."

The interesting part of that comment -- Al's son, Mark Davis, took over the Raiders when his father passed away ... and Mark recently told us he thought it was a good idea for Nike to sign Kaep.

The other clue was a little more abstruse, but he suggests Patriots owner Robert Kraft could be interested in Colin.

There's more to the clip ... Geragos also says Colin and his girlfriend, Nessa, are NOT boycotting the NFL. They're watching games (they're fans) and they're supporting players like Kenny Stills.

Waka Flocka Flame is throwing penalty flags at the NFL for choosing Maroon 5 for the halftime performance at this year's Super Bowl in Atlanta, because he believes the performers should be black.

Waka tells TMZ Sports ... he's upset with the NFL's decision to shun the incredibly long list of Atlanta rappers in favor of a more mainstream performer.

Flocka tells us why Colin Kaepernick's movement could've influenced the halftime show ... and says the NFL is just plain tone-deaf ... disrespecting so many players and fans.

Brett Favre frickin' LOVES Conor McGregor ... and says he's super pumped for the Khabib Nurmagomedov mega-fight.

Oh yeah ... and he told us who's gonna win too.

TMZ Sports recently spoke to Favre -- who just took a family vacay to Ireland -- about his UFC obsession ... particularly the Notorious.

"I like watching the guy fight. Love watching the guy fight. I think he's a hell of a fighter."

Favre says he's pumped for what some -- including Mark Wahlberg -- say is gonna be the biggest MMA fight ever ... and is pretty sure McGregor will have his hand raised.

"I gotta go with my guy, McGregor. I'm looking forward to it."

We say pretty sure 'cause, even though #4 is confident Conor will get it done, he's still leaving a little room for the bear-wrestling mauler to score what Favre thinks would be an upset.

"In the UFC, you never know. You never know."

Want a glimpse into what the NFL will look like in a few years??

Take a look at the Ravens when No. 8 is on the field ... 'cause Baltimore legend Jamal Lewis tells TMZ Sports Lamar Jackson IS THE FUTURE OF THE LEAGUE!!

"He's the future of offenses period," Jamal says.

"The stand-up, throwing quarterback I think is about to be a thing of old."

It's interesting ... considering the Ravens' current starter, Joe Flacco, is exactly that -- but the ex-Raven says it's only a matter of time before Joe's out and Lamar's in.

"You're going to have to have a more dynamic quarterback to be able to use his legs versus just standing up in the pocket," Lewis tells us.

Don't get it twisted ... Jamal loves Joe, saying he's a "great quarterback" -- but J-Lew clearly thinks it's inevitable.

As if you needed another reason to love Larry Fitzgerald ... the NFL superstar hit up a local restaurant and spotted the bill for a HUGE crowd -- and the reason behind the good deed is awesome!!

The Arizona Cardinals wide receiver hit up Casella's Italian Delicatessen in Scottsdale on Tuesday ... in an effort to raise money for the restaurant owner, who was diagnosed with cancer.

Fitzgerald told locals to show up from 12-5 PM for a meal on his dime ... while accepting donations for Joe Casella and his family.

Of course, Fitz drew a MASSIVE crowd ... and we're told so many people took Fitzgerald up on his offer, the line took more than 5 HOURS to get through.

If Josh Gordon wants to be the next Randy Moss in New England ... Vince Wilfork is giving TMZ Sports the blueprint J.G. NEEDS to follow.

FYI ... Vince played 11 seasons under Bill Belichick -- including the three years Moss revived his career in N.E. -- so he's the perfect man for the ex-Browns superstar to listen to.

So ... what's the sage advice the Pats legend is offering Gordon for how to be the next Moss??

"Come there ready to work every day, play your role and do your job!" Wilfork tells us.

OK, not exactly chin-scratching wisdom ... but Vince says it's just simply that easy to succeed with The Hoodie and Tom Brady in Foxborough.

"The No. 1 motto that we always had was, 'Do your job,'" Vince says.

"It sounds so simple, but people make it complicated. All you gotta do is just do your job, and you'll be OK."

By the way ... remember that sweet outfit Wilfork rocked on "Hard Knocks" back in the day??

Snoop Dogg ain't panicking about the Steelers' rough start ... but he does have a message for his favorite winless squad -- STOP PLAYIN' AND PAY LE'VEON!!

Of course ... James Conner -- Bell's backup -- was hardly the reason the Steelers couldn't beat the Browns and were mopped by the Chiefs on Sunday.

But, clearly -- Snoop thinks Bell being on jet skis in Miami rather than being on the roster ain't helping matters.

"They need to pay Le'Veon and quit playin', man," Snoop says.

Still ... Snoop ain't ready to hit the eject button on the season yet -- telling TMZ Sports you'll know when that time comes 'cause there will be some classic rants up on his social media.

As for Antonio Brown -- who took to Twitter on Monday and said the team should trade him if they want to find out if he's a product of Ben Roethlisberger's success -- Snoop says A.B. ain't going anywhere.

"We just lost, so we're frustrated," Snoop tells us. "We'll be alright."

LeSean McCoy's ex-girlfriend just revealed graphic injury photos showing her face bruised and battered after the beating she took during a home invasion back in July.

Delicia Cordon included the photos in legal docs filed in a Georgia court ... where Cordon is suing McCoy -- accusing him of orchestrating the break-in and beatdown.

Cordon -- who started dating McCoy in 2016 -- believes the Buffalo Bills star ordered people to break into the house she was living in -- which McCoy owns -- to reclaim jewelry he previously gifted her ... and scare her into moving out.

The photos appear to show Cordon with black eyes, a busted lip, and cuts and bruises on her face.

Police are still investigating the case ... but McCoy has adamantly denied having any involvement with the incident.

Eric Dickerson is demanding Hall of Famers get a respectable salary for life ... and now he's revealing exactly what they deserve, telling TMZ Sports they want $300k a year.

Dickerson announced he formed a committee with a group of HOFers -- including Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders and Jim Brown -- and demanded the NFL provide them with access to health care and a yearly salary.

In a letter to the NFL, the HOFers say they'll boycott future ceremonies in Canton if they can't come to a fair agreement.

We talked to Dickerson ... and he told us exactly what the NFL legends are lookin' for -- and it's a lot of green.

"If it was up to me, I think every Hall of Famer would get about $300,000 a year. I think that would be a proper number."

Do the math ... 318 Hall of Famers multiplied by $300k ... that's more than $95 million a year.

Some players have died -- but are represented by their families (like in the case of Reggie White -- whose widow is part of the committee.)

FYI -- the NFL's 2017 revenue was reportedly in excess of $14 BILLION.

The biggest Patriots fan on the Hill is straight-up PUMPED for Josh Gordon in Foxborough ... and tells TMZ Sports having Tom Brady and Bill Belichick around will help keep the troubled WR in check.

We spoke with Senator Elizabeth Warren about the Pats' newest addition ... and to say she's stoked would be an understatement, even though some fans are cautious with all his off-field issues.

But, Sen. Warren ain't sweatin' it one bit ... saying having TB12 and coach in a players' corner has worked wonders for players in the past ... and Gordon won't be any different.

Trey Burton had to pay money to catch passes for the Bears on Monday ... and he couldn't have been happier -- telling TMZ Sports he's donating tons of cash to a great cause this season!!

The ex-Eagle (and Philly Special star) says for every reception this year he'll give $1,000 ... and for every score, he'll shell out $2,500.

The cause?? Burton says it's all going to the International Justice Mission -- a global org aiming to stop the slave trade and sex trafficking everywhere.

Soooo ... with his performance Monday night against the Seahawks -- Burton had to pony up $5,500 ... and he couldn't have been more pleased to do it.

"The best $5,500 I've ever spent," he says. "Hopefully we can do a lot more!"

Trey tells us his season-long goal is to give out around $60,000-$90,000 -- and he hopes it inspires others to dip into their pockets to help as well.