NFL

Here's a refreshingly candid moment from Jameis Winston ... the Saints QB admitted to kids he went from top NFL prospect to league laughingstock -- but he's now vowing to work his ass off to change that.

The 27-year-old was helping out at Kenny Shaw's football camp in Orlando, FL on Saturday when he delivered the speech ... and it was a very cool, self-aware moment from the former #1 overall pick.

Winston, in addressing dozens of campers, said, "I went from being the #1 draft pick to being everybody laugh at me."

Jameis, of course, is not wrong ... the guy has been mocked for issue after issue after issue during and after his rise to national fame at Florida State.

There was the crab leg incident. The "f*** her right in the p****" debacle. There was the incredibly awkward "Eat A W" celebration. And, who can forget his quirky training methods??

But, Jameis told the young footballers he's doing everything in his power to change all of that and be the heir to Drew Brees' throne in New Orleans.

"Guess what?" Jameis said. "I'm about that business. I'm outworking everybody at my position."

Winston had to pause, 'cause Dallas Cowboys star QB Dak Prescott was standing right next to him helping out at the camp -- but he continued nonetheless!!

"I know Dak right there," he said as Prescott smiled. "But, I'm doing things every single day. Committing to the dream."

Winston then encouraged the kids to believe in themselves and always approach the game with a little kid's perspective ... because he says that's how he's going about his business now.

Joe Burrow showed off his ACL surgery scar during the Bengals' jersey reveal sesh this week ... and the thing is massive AND gnarly.

The former Heisman Trophy winner shredded his knee during a game on Nov. 22 ... and he required a surgical procedure to fix multiple tears in the leg just days later.

Burrow's recovery has gone well -- his parents just said earlier this month the 24-year-old is still on track to start next season for Cincy -- but it's clear, the damage done to his knee was significant.

Check out the Bengals' photo of the QB's left leg ... you can see surgeons had to open him up from the top of the knee cap all the way down to the start of his shin to fix the issues.

The wound -- which appears to be at least half a foot long -- is still purple, red and fresh ... about 4 months after it was made.

For his part, Burrow hasn't spoken much publicly about his rehab process ... but he's been spotted out in the public recently, moving his knee fine and putting pressure on it while walking and sitting.

NFL star Sam Darnold was crushed to learn his former USC teammate Chris Brown died over the weekend ... saying Monday the 24-year-old O-lineman was the "greatest dude EVER."

Brown passed away Sunday, according to Trojans football head coach Clay Helton ... who said he was "heartbroken" to relay the news to the SC community.

Darnold -- who was teammates with Brown for his entire USC career -- spoke out on the tragedy on his social media page Monday ... sharing three photos, and clearly reeling from the news.

"Still can't believe this," Darnold said. "Rest easy brotha."

Brown arrived on SC's campus in 2014, 1 year before Darnold enrolled at the school. The O-lineman went on to block for the star QB for two seasons in 2016 and 2017, before Sam eventually bolted for the NFL.

The two were clearly close, Darnold's pictures showed the guys shared more than a few laughs together.

A cause of death for Brown has not yet been revealed.

Deshaun Watson claims at least 5 of his accusers performed massage therapy on the QB after alleged sexual misconduct incidents ... and the NFL star believes it's proof the women are lying.

Watson just filed new court docs responding to the 22 female massage therapists who have filed lawsuits against him. And, now that he knows the identities of his accusers, he's going after them one by one.

"In the few days since Mr. Watson has learned the identity of his accusers, his legal team has already uncovered evidence that numerous allegations in this onslaught of cases are simply not true or accurate," Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, says in the court docs.

Hardin lays out 6 points which he believes will help to prove his client's innocence ...

--"After the massage therapy sessions with Mr. Watson, 8 plaintiffs bragged about, praised, and were excited about massaging Mr. Watson"

--"7 plaintiffs willingly worked or offered to work with Mr. Watson after their alleged incidents"

--"3 plaintiffs lied about the number of sessions they actually had with Mr. Watson"

--"3 plaintiffs lied about their alleged trauma and resulting harm"

--"5 plaintiffs told others they wanted to get money out of Mr. Watson"

--"5 plaintiffs have scrubbed or entirely deleted their social media accounts"

Hardin clearly believes any woman who would work with Watson after suffering such trauma during an alleged sexual misconduct incident is lying.

Hardin claims he has proof that 5 accusers "chose to work with Mr. Watson even after they claim he acted offensively and aggressively in prior sessions."

"This, of course, raises the question of why they would agree to follow-up therapy sessions when they claim their experiences made them feel like they 'wanted to vomit' and caused them to 'no longer accept massage clients, for fear of a repeat of this type of harassment.'”

As for Hardin's claim that some of the accusers are scrubbing their social media accounts, he believes they're doing it to rework their images.

Watson names four accusers and says, "Before their names became public, their accounts contained pictures that are inconsistent with the image they portray through their petitions."

NFL star Alex Smith -- who beat the odds and returned to the field after a catastrophic leg injury in 2018 -- is retiring from football, the QB announced Monday.

36-year-old Smith gave an emotional farewell to the sport just minutes ago ... saying he's ready for a new challenge after making his improbable comeback.

"Two years ago I was stuck in a wheelchair, staring down at my mangled leg, wondering if I'd ever be able to go on a walk with my wife again, or play games with my kids in the yard," the 2020 Comeback Player of the Year said.

Smith credits getting a football back in his hand for his miraculous recovery ... adding, "I don't know what it was but all of a sudden I felt stronger, more driven and what once seemed impossible began to come into focus."

"I want to say thank you for believing in me and thank you for helping me believe in myself and the impossible," he added. "Because even though I have plenty of snaps left in me, after 16 years of giving this game everything I’ve got, I can’t wait to see what else is possible."

Smith says he will now spend time with his wife and kids ... and enjoy making up the time he's missed with them over the past 16 years.

Smith -- a superstar QB out of the University of Utah -- was the #1 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers in 2005, where he played for 8 seasons.

He was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013 ... earning Pro Bowl honors 3 times in 5 seasons, and posting the league's best passer rating in 2017.

Smith joined the Washington Football Team in 2018 and was having a solid season before suffering a gruesome leg injury against the Houston Texans in Week 10.

After battling a flesh-eating bacteria and 17 operations, Smith worked nonstop to make his return to the field in 2020, appearing in 8 games for Washington.

"I was a skinny no-name recruit who wasn't supposed to play in college, let alone go to New York as a Heisman finalist or be the first one to have his name called on draft night," Smith added.

A tiger never changes its stripes -- that is, unless you're the Cincinnati Bengals, which just debuted some brand new uniforms ... and they look GOOD!!

It's no secret -- the Bengals have had some of the worst jerseys in the NFL for nearly 2 decades ... with the majority of fans begging for a makeover.

Who Dey Nation's prayers were finally answered on Monday ... with Joe Burrow, Chad Ochocinco and more showing off the beautiful new threads in all their glory.

There are some significant changes to the unis -- most notably, the shoulder stripes are much simpler and easier on the eyes ... and the random white stripe on the side of the black jerseys are gone (a huge victory in itself).

The jerseys also have a different number font, which is meant to resemble the ridges of Paul Brown Stadium and claw marks of a tiger.

Unfortunately, there's still a tiger print down the side of the pants -- which comes in 3 different configurations -- but hey, we won't complain too much.

The big reveal came with a hype video to "Run It" by Ohio native Cal Scruby ... which was a nice touch.

The G.O.A.T.’s knee is continuing to mend ... Tom Brady says his injured leg is feeling “pretty good” a couple months after surgery, though he added he’s not quite close to 100% yet.

The 7-time Super Bowl champ broke it down for reporters at Bruce Arians’ charity event Sunday, explaining rehab on his injured knee is going well, but he likely wouldn’t be able to practice for Tampa if official workouts began this week.

"I feel pretty good, and I push myself pretty hard," The 43-year-old said. "I feel pretty good. I don't know if I could go this week, but we'll see how things play out.”

It’s unclear when Brady initially injured his knee, but multiple reports have indicated he dealt with the ailment through the Bucs’ run to the Super Bowl in 2020.

Brady had surgery to repair the issue just days after the title game victory over the Chiefs ... and, despite clearly not being full-go yet, he seemed confident Sunday it'd be healthy by the start of the 2021 season.

"It's a long time between now and the beginning of the season,” Brady said, "and just be smart about all these different things that we have to do and fulfill; but we all take a lot of pride in being ready to go, and I'm sure we will be."

"He's got 3 Super Bowl rings. He has 36 touchdowns. He's 5-foot-9. He's Jewish!"

Jeremy Piven says all of that -- and more -- are the reasons he's certain Julian Edelman is a Hall of Famer ... telling TMZ Sports the Patriots legend should be in Canton on the 1st ballot!

"He runs a 4.3 [40-yard dash], he played quarterback in high school," Piven told us out in L.A. this week. "I mean, I look in the mirror and I see Julian Edelman. I don't see me, and then I wake up and I see me and then it's pathetic."

"I celebrate him with the power of Christ. He's amazing! Put him in the Hall of Fame!"

The debate is now raging in the football world after Edelman officially retired from the game last Monday ... with people in both corners of the argument adamant they're right.

On one hand, you have guys like Rob Gronkowski, who still ain't so sure Edelman's gonna get the nod ... despite playing with the guy forever in New England.

On the other hand, you have dudes like Piven who are all in.

As for if Edelman truly deserves the bronze bust ... his regular season stats are solid -- 620 catches for 6,822 receiving yards and 36 TDs -- but not spectacular.

His postseason resume, though, certainly is. Julian's got 3 title rings, a Super Bowl MVP award and he's second all-time to Jerry Rice in total playoff receptions.

"He was one of Tom Brady's favorite targets," Piven added. "That's not a participation trophy. He ran great routes, he hustled. You look at his highlights and look at his stats."

"Even Belichick's coming out and saying the variable with Julian Edelman is he shows up at the big moments."

Aaron Donald's lawyer claims the NFL superstar was the target of a bottle attack outside of a nightclub ... and he's got video to prove it.

Donald's attorney, Casey White, claims the assault allegations levied against the L.A. Rams superstar are provably false based on surveillance video they've obtained along with multiple witnesses.

As we previously reported, DeVincent Spriggs filed a police report against Donald -- claiming Aaron beat the daylights out of him outside the Boom Boom Room nightclub in the early hours of April 11.

But, Casey White appeared on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Friday morning and says the surveillance video proves Spriggs is 100% full of crap.

White says the two were at a party together at a residence above the nightclub when Spriggs bumped into Donald -- elbowing him in the back.

White says there was a minor conflict which resulted in Spriggs being kicked out of the party.

But, Spriggs allegedly waited for Donald in an alley outside -- that's when he tried to attack with a bottle.

"Mr. Spriggs starts walking toward Aaron and he's yelling and he's drunk and he's aggressive," White says.

"And, Aaron sees something in his right hand and first he thinks it's a gun."

"But, it's actually a bottle, a long liquor bottle. In fact, [Spriggs] swings with his right hand, Aaron ducks. The bottle grazes the top of Aaron's head ... he has a lump on his head from the bottle."

At that point, White says people in the area -- including Aaron's brother -- raced in to help Aaron and some people began beating Spriggs savagely.

Aaron was restrained during the beating, White says -- but eventually freed himself and actually began ripping people off of Spriggs.

"He actually saved Mr. Spriggs from further injury,” White said ... "It’s fantastic, from a defense attorney’s perspective, to be honest with you."

White says Spriggs was badly injured -- but insists the guy only has himself to blame.

White also claims he received an email from police saying investigators do not have any video evidence showing Donald assaulted Spriggs -- the implication being Donald will NOT be charged with a crime.

White also suggested he would be releasing footage soon to show everyone Donald did nothing wrong.

The Indianapolis Colts are mourning those killed in the FedEx shooting -- which occurred just 20 minutes from the team facility ... calling it "another senseless tragedy."

A gunman stormed a FedEx Ground packaging facility late Thursday night -- killing at least 8 people and wounding many others before taking his own life, cops say.

Investigators are still working on the case -- trying to determine a motive.

Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts have issued a statement saying, "Our hearts are broken by another senseless tragedy."

"We at the Colts are deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific act that took place last night in our city."

"We join the entire Indianapolis community in mourning those who lost their lives and praying for all those who are or will be impacted over the weeks and months to come."

"We send our thought to our friends at FedEx who are hurting so much this morning, and we pray for their health and healing."

"The victims and survivors are our friends and neighbors, and one can only imagine the nightmare their families are living through this morning."

The NFC East could come down to the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Washington Demon Cats in 2022???

It's true ... 'cause the Washington Football Team is now putting out feelers to fans regarding potential new monikers, and one of the squad names it's floating includes the "Demon Cats."

It's unclear why -- D.C. has never been known for its demons or its cats -- but it's one of at least 30 names WFT officials sent out to season ticket holders to evaluate this week.

Some of the others that don't make a whole lot of sense? Aces, Belters, Brigade and Rising.

There were some pretty cool ones, though ... WFT -- which ditched its old team name due to its racist ties last year -- also asked fans to weigh in on names like Redtails, Red Hogs and Washington DC Football Club (DCFC).

The list was NOT meant to be a new team name vote, according to WFT execs ... but rather a way for the org. to get a feel for what names were important to its fan base.

WFT officials have said they'd like to have a new nickname in place for 2022. And, they've reiterated multiple times they could just stick with WFT.

Here's the rest of some of the reported monikers WFT fans got a peek at this week:

Aces
Ambassadors
Anchors
Archers
Armada
Aviators
Beacons
Belters
Brigade
Commanders
Defenders
Demon Cats
First City Football Club (FCFC)
Griffins
Guardians
Icons
Majors
Monarchs
Pilots
Presidents
Razorbacks
Redtails
Redwolves
Red Hogs
Renegades
Riders
Rising
Royals
Rubies
Swifts
Warriors
Washington DC Football Club (DCFC)
Wayfarers
Wild Hogs
32FC (W32)

He's the punky QB known as McMahon ... and good lord, does he HATE the Chicago Bears.

Of course, Jim McMahon is a Chicago legend -- famous for leading his 1985 Bears team over the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Remember the Super Bowl shuffle?!

But now, the 61-year-old could care less about his former franchise ... ripping the organization during an appearance this week on the "Fat Mike Chicago Sports Show."

First, McMahon pointed out Chicago hasn't had a decent starting QB if forever -- and noted, "I think it’s where quarterbacks go to die."

Ouch.

When asked about how the Bears should approach the 2021 NFL Draft -- McMahon cut even deeper.

"I don’t know, don’t watch them, don’t care. I wouldn’t know what they need or who they’re thinking of drafting."

Ouch again.

And, to add salt to the wound, McMahon PRAISED the Bears' longtime rival Green Bay Packers, where he ended his NFL career.

"It was the best team, or the best organization, that I’ve played for of the 7 teams I’ve played for," McMahon said ... adding, "By far, from top to bottom ... it was great people."

McMahon spent 7 seasons in Chicago including that special 1985 championship run -- but left for San Diego in 1989 and bounced around several teams after that before calling it quits after the 1996 season.

He reunited with several Bears legends at Soldier Field back in 2016 -- but it seems he doesn't have a strong relationship with the franchise anymore.

Deshaun Watson's accuser list is back down to 22 ... one of the women who had filed a lawsuit against the QB officially dropped her case this week, though she stressed the move might only be temporary.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, the female masseuse -- using the pseudonym, Jane Doe -- said she was not going forward with her case due to "privacy and security concerns."

She noted in the docs, however, the decision was only "for now" ... explaining if her concerns are assuaged, she might refile the suit later on.

As we previously reported, judges ruled last week most of Watson's accusers could NOT use "Jane Doe" aliases in their suits anymore... and ruled the women must identify themselves if they wanted to go forward with their cases.

It seems one of the Does did not feel comfortable doing that ... and officially dropped the suit in a court filing this week.

22 other women are still moving forward with their cases, though ... with Watson's latest accuser officially filing a new suit against the Texans player Wednesday.

In that suit, Erica Chapman -- a make-up artist -- claims Watson contacted her on Instagram in Sept. 2020 ... and the two set up a massage at the quarterback's Texas residence shortly after.

While there, Chapman claims Watson was sexually inappropriate.

According to the suit, the two still agreed to do another massage session two months later in November ... and during that one, Chapman says Watson manipulated "the massage and her into sexual coercion."

Chapman, who claims the QB's actions left her "ashamed, embarrassed, deeply distressed and confused," is suing for undisclosed damages.

Watson, through his attorney, Rusty Hardin, has admitted to having sexual encounters with some of his massage therapists in recent years -- but the QB has insisted the acts were always consensual.

The 5-year-old girl who was badly injured in the Britt Reid car crash in February is now out of the hospital ... but her family says she still has a long road to full recovery.

Ariel Young suffered catastrophic injuries after Reid -- a former K.C. Chiefs assistant coach and Andy Reid's son -- allegedly slammed his pickup truck into the back of a vehicle she was in on Feb. 4 in Kansas City.

Investigators say Young's brain was hurt badly ... adding she suffered a skull fracture and subdural hematomas, among other ailments, as well.

Young had been in the hospital since the accident trying to recover ... but her family said Tuesday she was taken home this week.

"Ariel is at home recovering," the family said in a statement, "we hope that her being in a familiar place will help her remember things."

"She is doing physical therapy but as of right now she still cannot walk, talk or eat like a normal 5 year old. Thank you everyone for your continued support."

35-year-old Britt was charged with one count of felony DWI on Monday over the wreck ... after officials say he had .113 BAC when measured around 2 hours after the crash.

Investigators also said Britt was going 83.9 MPH in a 65 MPH just seconds before the collision.

Britt surrendered to authorities and took a mug shot shortly after prosecutors announced the charge on Monday.