Seattle Seahawks

A lucky fan (or unlucky, if you're not down with talons gripping your head) just got an exclusive Seattle Seahawks experience -- when the team's mascot, an actual hawk, landed right on his dome during Thursday night's game.

The feathery moment happened when the Seahawks faced off against the Los Angeles Rams Thursday Night in Seattle.

At the end of the first quarter, Seahawks' mascot, Taima the Hawk -- who leads the team out of the tunnel -- decided to explore a bit instead of flying back to her handler.

And, ended up in the stands on top of someone's head!

It was all caught on the TV broadcast ... you see Taima landing on top of a Seahawks' fan, flapping her wings, trying to get a grip on the guys head (ouch).

The onlookers seem to be lovin' it (it's not their head a big hawk's standing on). Somehow, the fan stayed calm and collected the entire time ... and Taima eventually flew back to her handler.

This isn't the first time Taima has surprised a fan -- in 2014, she landed on another man's head right before her team took on the New York Giants.

Russell Wilson's middle finger might never look the same after the Seahawks' game Thursday ... 'cause he appeared to badly dislocate it after hitting it on a defender's hand.

Wilson was unloading a deep ball in the third quarter of Seattle's loss to the Rams ... when on his follow through, his hand collided with L.A. star Aaron Donald's.

In video of the throw, you can see the force of the impact caused the quarterback's finger to bend awkwardly -- and when he looked down at the digit, it was clearly out of place.

The tip of the finger had bent at nearly a 90-degree angle ... and Wilson immediately called for trainers to help.

The 32-year-old tried to stay in the game ... but he was later pulled in favor of backup Geno Smith -- and head coach Pete Carroll said after the game Wilson could need surgery.

"There is a lot of work to be done in assessing all of that," said Carroll, who called the injury a "badly sprained finger."

"Russell is one of the great healers of all time, and he'll do whatever he can to get back as soon as absolutely possible."

Wilson has not missed a single start in his 10 seasons in the NFL ... getting under center in all 149 of his career games.

The Seahawks have some time 'til they play again -- their next contest is slated for Oct. 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Russell Wilson and Ciara are making another business move together -- by publishing their first children's picture book!

The couple announced the news Wednesday ... saying they've teamed up with Penguin Random House to release the book titled "Why Not You?"

"I am so excited to share that Ciara and I will be publishing our first book for kids next spring," the Seattle Seahawks QB said on IG.

The picture book intends to "encourage readers to see themselves achieving their dreams, no matter how outrageous they may seem," according to PRH.

"It’s a lyrical celebration of self-esteem, perseverance, and daring to shoot for the stars".

The storybook will have 32 pages -- with illustrations by Jessica Gibson -- and is set to be released in March 2022.

This is yet another dope collab between the Super Bowl champ and award winning singer -- in fact, Why Not You is also the name of the couple's nonprofit org that focuses on education, health and the fight against poverty for youth.

Russ and Ciara -- who married in July 2016 -- also opened their Why Not You Academy in Washington this fall.

LeBron James says he almost played in the NFL, telling Eli and Peyton Manning the Cowboys and Seahawks both offered him a contracts during the NBA lockout in 2011.

Bron joined the Manning Bros during their "Monday Night Football" broadcast ... when the Giants legend asked James if it were true that Dallas recruited him back in the day, with Eli asking if he had "any temptation to put the uniform on and go play for the Cowboys?”

"That's true, Jerry Jones offered me a contract. Also, Pete Carroll did as well, in Seattle during our lockout time," LeBron told Eli and Peyton.

"It definitely got my blood flowing again. Got my mind racing again thinking about the game of football, being out there on Sundays."

Unfortunately for Cowboys and Seahawks fans, Bron says NBA players and owners quickly worked through their differences, and lockout ended shortly after.

"We were able to get a deal done in the NBA and I was back on the court in no time, but I definitely thought about it. I still got the jerseys too, that Jerry and Pete Carroll sent me from 2011."

Eli asked which position teams envisioned the 6'8", 250+ lb. basketball legend playing -- wide receiver, tight end?

“Yeah, more tight end, tight end," LeBron answered ... "I wanted to be a red-zone specialist like Gronk.”

You'll recall, James was a talented receiver in high school, playing for St.-Vincent-St. Mary’s football team … even getting recruited by several Division 1 schools (for football).

He smashed the competition during his junior year ... racking up 57 receptions, 1,160 yards, and 16 TDs.

Great numbers ... but safe to say his decision to quit football and focus on hooping turned out well for the future Hall of Famer.

But, not even Peyton could stop himself from imagining what it would've been like to throw the ball up to a freakishly big, strong, and talented athlete.

“I would have thrown so many touchdowns to LeBron, put him out wide, throw the ball, throw the fade, jump ball. 75 touchdowns.”

Just 1 day after signing with the Seattle Seahawks, tight end Luke Willson announced he's walking away from football for good ... revealing he was hospitalized with a severe heart condition earlier this year.

31-year-old Willson -- a 2013 5th-round draft pick who won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2014 -- resigned with his old squad on Tuesday.

But, just a day later, the team said they were parting ways with Luke ... without explaining why.

On Wednesday, Willson provided some answers ... explaining he dealt with a serious heart issue a few months ago.

"After signing with the Seahawks yesterday, I have decided to walk away from the game of football," Willson wrote.

"This off-season I went through some health issues and spent numerous days in the hospital with a severe pericardial effusion."

FYI, the Mayo Clinic describes the condition as "the buildup of excess fluid in the sac-like structure around the heart (pericardium)."

If untreated, Pericardial effusion "can lead to heart failure or death," according to Mayo Clinic.

Luke says the medical scare changed the way he views football and life.

"That situation has really challenged me as an individual and changed my perspective on a lot of things with regards to my life. After reflecting on everything yesterday and being in the building, I have decided that it's time for me to begin with the next chapter of my life."

Luke's adult life has been all about football ... so, what's next for the Canadian?

Aldon Smith is team-less once again ... the Seattle Seahawks have just cut the star pass rusher, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, as his battery case is still forging on in the Louisiana court system.

The 31-year-old signed a 1-year, $1.1 million deal with the 'Hawks this off-season ... and was expected to be a force on Seattle's D-line this year.

But, just days after he inked his contract in April, he was accused of beating up somebody at a coffee shop in Chalmette, LA. and was later arrested.

The incident affected Smith's role with his new team ... as he stayed away from Seattle's off-season practices following the arrest.

Smith, though, reportedly looked solid during his first workouts with the Seahawks at training camp over the last few days ... so it's unclear if the Louisiana case was the driving force behind Wednesday's release.

As we previously reported, Smith is facing up to 8 years in prison if convicted on his battery charge. He's due in court later this month for a hearing on the matter.

Smith -- who was out of football dealing with suspensions and off-field issues from 2015 through 2019 -- made a triumphant return to the NFL last season, recording 48 tackles and 5 sacks for the Dallas Cowboys.

Both Richard Sherman AND cops suffered gnarly injuries during the NFL star's arrest last week ... new police photos, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

In the pics, taken by law enforcement after cops say they were involved in a massive struggle to arrest the NFL player on July 14 ... you can see Sherman and cops were bloodied in the alleged scuffle outside of Sherman's in-laws' home in Redmond, WA.

Some of the pics show Sherman had a big gash on his foot that needed to be closed with stitches.

In other photos, you can see one officer had a big scrape on his shoulder ... while another had a large wound on the inside of his thigh.

Fortunately, cops described all of the injuries as minor ... with none of the parties needing significant medical treatment.

Other photos cops released Thursday appear to show damage to the door that Sherman pounded on as he tried to enter his in-laws' home just before his arrest.

As we previously reported, Sherman has been hit with five misdemeanors -- including DUI and resisting arrest -- over his alleged actions during the night.

He pled not guilty to the charges in a King County courtroom last Friday ... but said in a statement earlier in the day, "I am deeply remorseful for my actions."

Future Hall of Famer Richard Sherman was arrested early this morning in Washington for "burglary domestic violence" ... and has been denied bail, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 33-year-old NFL free agent was booked into the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle at 6:08 AM ... and is currently sitting behind bars.

The Burglary Domestic Violence charge is a felony in Washington state ... and can carry a lengthy prison sentence, if convicted.

The details surrounding the arrest are not yet clear.

Sherman -- who played with the San Francisco 49ers last season -- is one of the best players of his generation. RS is a 5x Pro Bowler, Super Bowl Champ, and a lock to be immortalized in Canton, Ohio.

We've reached out to Sherman's rep ... but so far, no word back.

Cops in Louisiana are on the hunt for Aldon Smith ... they say the new Seahawks pass rusher committed 2nd-degree battery at a coffee shop in the New Orleans area on Saturday.

According to a wanted bulletin from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office, Smith allegedly committed the crime while at the French Press Coffee House near Home Depot in Chalmette.

Officials say the entire incident was captured on video, according to WDSU in New Orleans.

Cops added in the bulletin, "The subject does not have a local address but has relatives in the New Orleans Area. Subject was last observed in a white in color Nissan sedan with an unknown license plate."

Smith is no stranger to trouble with the law ... he's been arrested multiple times in the past few years -- though he had famously cleaned up his life and rejoined the NFL last season.

31-year-old Smith was a star for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 ... recording five sacks and two fumble recoveries.

He just signed a one-year contract last week to play for the Seahawks in the 2021 season.

Story developing ...

More quarterback drama for the Seattle Seahawks ...

The guy who backs up Russell Wilson is being investigated by police for allegedly punching a man in the face at a bar on St. Patrick's Day ... TMZ Sports has learned.

25-year-old Alex McGough -- a 7th round pick in 2018 out of FIU -- was allegedly at the Green Parrot Pub in Tampa, FL when an altercation broke out ... and things got violent.

TMZ Sports spoke with the alleged victim, 24-year-old Anthony Albino -- who tells us he was reconnecting with an old friend at the bar when McGough approached him and accused him of shooting his shot at his girlfriend.

Anthony says the NFL player got heated -- and all of the sudden, McGough socked him in the face out of nowhere.

In video taken after the alleged incident -- and obtained by TMZ Sports -- you can see Anthony with red marks on his face ... surrounded by bloody paper towels he used to clean himself up.

Anthony says he suffered minor injuries from the incident ... including a bloody nose and a gash to his elbow.

We're told Anthony went to cops the following day and filled out a report with the intention of pressing charges.

So far, McGough has neither been arrested nor charged with a crime -- but our law enforcement sources confirm the incident is under investigation and officers are hoping to speak with McGough soon

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

The Seahawks signed McGough to its practice squad back in December 2020 -- and he's currently listed as the #2 quarterback on the team depth chart.

Joel McHale has a message for his favorite team ... and it's pretty simple -- DON'T TRADE RUSSELL WILSON!!!

TMZ Sports got the comedian and diehard Seattle fan out at LAX this week ... and he made it very clear, if the Hawks trade Russ, he's going to be pissed!!

"He's 1 in a billion," Joel said of the Seahawks superstar. "And, he's also a great guy."

Of course, a Wilson trade has gone from seemingly improbable to very real this week ... after Russ' agent, Mark Rodgers, told ESPN the QB is open to a trade to the Cowboys, Saints, Bears or Raiders.

And, with Russ reportedly unhappy with the Seahawks over, among other things, personnel decisions ... it really might go down -- but McHale is hoping everything gets repaired soon.

In fact, Joel says he's not pushing the panic button yet ... and believes his favorite team will work it all out with his favorite player.

"I would be very sad," McHale said of a potential Wilson trade. "They need to put up statues of him for what he's done for the city. But, he's not -- I don't think he's leaving."

FYI -- Joel might have some real power to sway Russ to stay ... the guys are pretty good friends and even had a long chat about life during a funny interview back in July.

Russell Wilson has NOT asked for a trade from the Seahawks -- but the QB's agent says if he were to be jettisoned from Seattle, he'd accept a deal to Dallas.

Mark Rodgers -- who reps the NFL superstar -- told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday Wilson wants to play in Seattle, but the Cowboys are one of four teams he would agree to be traded to.

The other three? The Saints, Bears and Raiders.

Of course, the Cowboys are the most interesting of the grouping ... considering everything going down with Dak Prescott.

Dallas brass has insisted it wants to keep the team's star QB on the roster ... this despite not having signed him to a long-term deal yet.

Could a potential swap with the Seahawks change their plans? Perhaps ... Russ, after all, is one of the most elite QBs in the league and he still has 3 years left on his contract after inking a massive $140 million extension in 2019.

As for Wilson's interest in the Saints and Bears ... their quarterback holes are glaring -- Drew Brees is expected to retire this offseason, while Chicago's signal-caller spot is in flux with Mitch Trubisky set for free agency.

The Raiders, meanwhile, make a little less sense ... Derek Carr had a solid year with Jon Gruden in 2020, and there's no reason to believe he won't be back with the team in 2021.

... unless Wilson truly is available for a trade.

It took 3 police officers to detain massive NFL lineman Chad Wheeler during a bloody domestic violence rampage at his GF's apartment ... and cops described the battle like they were trying to subdue a bear.

According to multiple police reports, obtained by TMZ Sports, the Kent P.D. officers got a heads up that the suspect in the Jan. 22 incident was Seattle Seahawks OL Chad Wheeler, who was listed at 6'7", 315 pounds.

When they arrived at the scene and saw Chad's GF was badly injured, they said they raced to subdue the 27-year-old ... despite the fact he fights off bigger and stronger men for a living.

One cop said in the docs, "When I grabbed ahold of Chad, I could tell that he was very solid and muscular as he was not easy to move."

The officer said he began to understand the strength of Wheeler when all three responding cops piled on top of him -- and it barely slowed Wheeler down.

"As the three of us (with a combined weight of about 700 pounds) were on top of Chad, I could feel him lifting his body up like he was pushing up to get away," one officer said.

"Chad, whose massive size took up the whole length and width of the bathroom floor, was able to lift his body about three to six inches temporarily with what appeared to be little effort from him."

According to the police report, cops say Wheeler was not cooperative ... so they used a Taser in an effort to detain him -- but it had "little to no effect."

When officers were finally ready to put him in handcuffs, Wheeler's size and strength continued to be a factor.

"Chad was so strong that even with the combined weight of three officers he was able to move around and prevent us from putting his arms behind his back," one officer said.

Ultimately, cops were able to take Wheeler into custody -- but they said he was so big, they were concerned he wouldn't fit in a standard police cruiser ... so they called for the larger jail van to take him to the station.

Wheeler was later arrested and hit with three criminals charges -- including 1st-degree domestic violence assault -- over the incident.

The NFL player -- who blamed all of his actions on a "manic episode" -- pled not guilty to the charges at a hearing in a Washington courtroom on Monday.

NFL offensive lineman Chad Wheeler has pleaded not guilty to 3 criminal charges ... this just days after he was accused of violently beating his girlfriend.

The 27-year-old showed up to a courtroom in King County, Wash., on Monday to enter the pleas, according to ESPN.

He was then ordered to stay in the state of Washington and to remain under electronic home detention with a monitoring device strapped around his ankle.

Wheeler -- under the conditions of his pretrial release -- had already been ordered to have zero contact with the alleged victim.

The alleged victim appeared in court for the hearing, and, according to ESPN reporter Brady Henderson, she showed up with a sling around her left arm.

As we previously reported, Wheeler was hit with three criminal charges -- including 1st-degree domestic violence assault -- after his girlfriend told cops he beat the hell out of her on Jan. 22.

According to court documents ... the woman told law enforcement Wheeler choked her unconscious twice, made her bleed from her face and severely mangled her arm in the violent attack.

Prosecutors said after filing the charges against the former Seattle Seahawks player, "The defendant, who is physically conditioned and trained to compete at the highest level of professional sports, strangled, suffocated and beat the victim into unconsciousness -- twice -- both times leaving her for dead as blood poured from her nose and mouth, and into her stomach and lungs."

Wheeler apologized for the incident last week ... blaming the entire thing on a "manic episode."

"I apologize profusely for the turmoil that I have caused to my family, teammates, fans and those closest to me," Wheeler said. "The most important thing right now is that [the alleged victim] gets the care she needs and I get help. Both are happening."

Wheeler added he's stepping away from football and seeking treatment.

Seattle Seahawks OL Chad Wheeler was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly got in a "physical fight" with his girlfriend ... and the allegations against the NFL player are disturbing.

Wheeler -- a 27-year-old who was a star at USC before his pro career began in 2017 -- was involved in an altercation with his GF in Kent, Wash. late Friday night, according to a police report obtained by The Seattle Times.

In the report, officers say they responded to a call that a woman had locked herself in a bathroom and called 911 claiming she was being "killed" following a fight with her BF.

The woman reportedly told cops that she was bleeding and had suffered a dislocated arm.

When cops arrived, they said in the report they heard screaming coming from the residence. When they entered the home, they said they continued to hear screaming coming from the bathroom -- where they say they found Wheeler standing next to the woman.

Cops in the report say they were told the altercation began after the woman refused to bow to the NFL player. Cops say that's when Wheeler allegedly grabbed the woman, threw her on the bed, and choked her until she was unconscious.

According to the report, when the woman regained consciousness, Wheeler said, "Wow you're alive?"

Cops say that's when the woman locked herself into the bathroom to call for help.

FYI -- in the report, officers say Wheeler is 6'7", 310 pounds. They say the woman is 5'9", 145 pounds.

Wheeler -- who was described in the report as uncooperative with officers -- was arrested and eventually booked on a domestic violence charge.

Jail records show Wheeler was booked at 1:19 A.M. on Saturday ... and released at 9:18 A.M. on Tuesday.

The Seahawks released a statement on the incident on Monday night, saying, "We are aware of the situation and still gathering information."

Wheeler went undrafted in 2017 but was signed by the NY Giants after the draft ... and went on to start 19 games for the team in '17 and '18.

Law enforcement officials arrested longtime Seattle Seahawks employee Aaron Miyasato on Tuesday after they claim he was found in possession of child pornography.

According to jail records, 41-year-old Miyasato, who had been working as the Hawks' security manager, was booked at 11:07 a.m. Tuesday on three charges of possessing and dealing child porn.

According to legal documents, obtained by KING 5, authorities claim they confiscated around 25,000 images of child porn during a raid at Miyasato's home.

According to the report, they also "confiscated videos of children as young as the age of one being sexually exploited in extremely graphic ways."

Miyasato had reportedly been employed by the Seahawks since 2011 ... and recently took the team's security manager position back in 2018.

Seahawks officials, though, said in a statement Wednesday that Miyasato is no longer an employee with the team after his arrest.

"We are aware of the situation and in accordance with the NFL personal conduct policy, we have notified the league of his arrest," the Seahawks said. "This individual is no longer employed by our organization."