NFL

Stefon Diggs is going after a social media star who accused him of drugging, sexually assaulting and later conspiring to kill him ... with the NFL star calling the claims pure fiction!!

The lawsuit, which TMZ Sports obtained, was filed by 31-year-old Diggs on October 1 ... with the Patriots star wideout accusing "would-be social media influencer" Christopher Blake Griffith of concocting a lurid story about him, stemming from an alleged incident at Stefon's Rockville, Maryland home in May 2023.

Diggs says he, along with Griffith and other influencers, hit up a local club after a charity basketball game in Washington, D.C., before later returning to Stefon's home. The Pats receiver says he then went to his bedroom, while his assistant asked Griffith to leave, capping a fairly mundane night.

The NY Giants need franchise QB Jaxson Dart on the football field ... and that's why former star running back Brandon Jacobs is imploring the young player to SLIDE!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the two-time Super Bowl winner earlier this week after Dart took another hard hit during Big Blue's November 9th game against the Chicago Bears, forcing him out of the game with a concussion.

It was the fourth time Dart was forced into the infamous blue medical tent ... and while Jacobs loves JD's mobility and playmaking ability, he's pleading with the rookie to learn how to avoid big hits.

Kenny Easley -- a longtime safety with the Seattle Seahawks -- has died, the team confirmed Saturday morning.

The team said Kenny lived up to the values of his team through "his leadership, intensity, and fearlessness" in a post uploaded to X. The Seahawks expressed condolences to his wife and three children in the post. His cause of death is not yet public knowledge.

Easley was drafted by the Seahawks with the fourth overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft after playing college ball at UCLA

Bill Belichick's been a regular in the headlines ever since his relationship with Jordon Hudson became public ... and his former player Asante Samuel tells TMZ Sports the irony is not lost on him.

Samuel was having some fun at his old coach's expense when he chopped it up with us this week ... saying while BB had to change his ways to conform to the college game at UNC, his off-the-field life has changed, too.

"Coach is being a hypocrite, man," he said. "He's been a hypocrite the way he's carrying on. He told us to stay off and don't have family distractions and things like that."

12:37 PM PT -- Alachua County Communications Director Mark Sexton tells TMZ Sports ... the first call for a fire at Harvin's home came in at 7:48 PM -- with crews arriving at 7:54 PM.

Crews didn’t see flames when they arrived. They entered the home, smelled smoke, and were then alerted that a fire had started on the roof.

The flames were extinguished by 9:17 PM, Sexton said. No residents or firefighters were hurt ... however, the house suffered smoke and water damage, while the roof sustained extensive damage.

Currently, investigators believe that a mechanical failure was the cause of the blaze.

Percy Harvin's Florida home erupted in flames Thursday evening ... triggering a huge response from firefighters, TMZ Sports has learned.

The inferno, which lit up the sky, was captured on video by a neighbor.

It's unclear if 37-year-old Harvin or his family were in the home at the time of the terrifying incident ... but indications are that no one was seriously harmed.

Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Ben Cleveland has cut a plea deal with prosecutors in his DUI case and has been sentenced to probation ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court documents we obtained, the Ravens guard pleaded guilty on Nov. 4 to one count of DUI following his arrest in February -- where cops say he blew a .178 (more than two times the legal limit) on a breathalyzer after he was spotted driving erratically.

As part of his deal, he is set to serve a 12-month probation period. While he was supposed to spend 24 hours behind bars ... they credited the 27-year-old with time served.

Cardi B just dropped her latest release -- her first child with NFL star Stefon Diggs is here ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the Diamond-selling rapper tell us Cardi gave birth to the baby boy last week.

We're told Stefon, the New England Patriots star receiver, was with Cardi when their baby boy arrived.

Cardi announced the birth Thursday in a social media post.

Cardi says ... "My life has always been a combination of different chapters and different seasons. My last chapter was the beginning of a new season. Starting over is never easy but it’s been so worth it! I brought new music and a new album to the world! A new baby into my world, and one more reason to be the best version of me, one more reason to love me more than anything else or anyone else so I can continue giving my babies the love and life they deserve."

Stefon Diggs had his eyes on a cheerleader minutes after Cardi B announced the birth of their son ... because he tossed her a football during his NFL game.

Cardi took to social media Thursday to announce she had given birth to Stefon's boy ... shortly before Stefon's New England Patriots kicked off their Thursday Night Football matchup with the New York Jets.

Stefon caught a pass from quarterback Drake Maye in the first quarter and his route took him out of bounds ... and when he was on the sidelines he tossed the football to a Patriots cheerleader.

A high-end trading card shop owned by Tom Brady was robbed in New York City of nearly $10,000 worth of baseball and Pokémon cards, according to police.

The NYPD says the incident occurred shortly before noon on October 20 ... when a man at CardVault by Tom Brady attempted to purchase items, but his payment declined.

The suspect then allegedly managed to trick the employee into believing the items were paid for, before ultimately walking out of the store with $9,710 worth of merchandise.

Antonio Brown is once again a free man -- at least for the time being -- the former NFL star posted bond and was released from county jail in Miami ... and TMZ Sports has video of AB leaving, flanked by his attorney.

37-year-old Brown had been in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County since Tuesday evening ... when he was escorted by plane from another jail in New Jersey.

AB went before a judge for the first time on Wednesday morning, and bond was set at $25k. Brown also agreed to be placed on a minimally restrictive house arrest, wear an ankle monitor, and steer clear of the alleged victim.

As if Swifties weren't swooning enough ... Travis Kelce is featured in Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour docuseries -- and has a major stamp of approval from her mom!

Check out the official trailer for "The End of an Era" -- there's no hiding Trav and Tay's love as the singer's mother, Andrea Swift, gushes over the NFL star ... saying he "brings happiness" to their lives.

There's also an adorable moment that documents the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and "Fate of Ophelia" singer on the phone, drawing similarities within each other's lives.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer addressed Marshawn Kneeland's passing on Wednesday ... saying the team's "heart is heavy" as it deals with the loss -- while also revealing the late defensive end's girlfriend, Catalina, is currently pregnant with the couple's child.

The first-year head coach met with the media coming off Dallas' bye week ... and opened up his availability by offering condolences to Marshawn's family and his girlfriend as they navigate the difficult situation.

Schottenheimer said they had the opportunity to "celebrate" Kneeland's life Tuesday night ... and they were able to "tell some stories, share, laugh [and] cry."

Rob Gronkowski has officially retired as a member of the New England Patriots ... but not without one last effort from owner Robert Kraft to get him to suit up for "Thursday Night Football" against the New York Jets!!

The legendary tight end signed his one-day contract to end his career in Foxborough on Wednesday ... and as he put pen to paper, Kraft joked he could make it a two-day deal to give him a farewell outing against their AFC East rival.

While it was obviously a joke, Gronk sure does look football-ready at 36 years old ... although he's done enough for the Patriots organization.

Amon-Ra St. Brown isn't going as far as apologizing, but the Lions star receiver is explaining himself ... after some fans were pissed he hit the Trump Dance after scoring a TD during the Commanders game!

St. Brown addressed the celebration on his "St. Brown" podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother, Equanimeous, saying his goal was definitely not to offend anyone.

"If any President was at that game, if they had a dance, I would have done it," Amon-Ra said. "It had nothing to do with who the President was."

He continued ... "We were just having fun. Doing the dance, nothing more, nothing less. Just a quick shimmy, whatever you call it."

A.J. Brown is seemingly throwing in the towel on his production this season ... to the point where he's telling fantasy football team owners to "get rid of" him!

The Philadelphia Eagles receiver was on Janky Rondo's Twitch stream playing Madden Tuesday night ... when he was asked if everything was good  -- to which he replied and laughed, "No."

"Family’s good, yeah. Everything else? No! It’s a s***-show," Brown said.

Janky laughed, too, but tried to hype Brown up ... telling him he's gonna go off against the Detroit Lions on Sunday and might even tally over 200 receiving yards against his favorite team, the Washington Commanders. Brown disagreed.

Cleveland Browns great Bernie Kosar is currently in the hospital dealing with liver issues ... revealing he was slated to receive a transplant over the weekend -- but the donor organ was infected.

The 61-year-old posted the video from his University Hospitals bed on Wednesday ... saying he had "two aggressive procedures" to address internal bleeding on Monday, and he was about to have a third.

Kosar explained the bleeding started following the Browns' 27-20 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday ... but despite the challenges he's facing, he wants to spread positivity.