Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has struck a deal with prosecutors that could keep him out of jail for allegedly KOing his then-fiance in an Atlantic City casino ... but there's one big catch.

Rice was accepted into a pretrial intervention program on Tuesday -- a program that allows defendants to avoid prosecution pending the completion of a specific set of rehabilitative conditions.

Officials wouldn't give any specific details on Rice's program -- only saying that it will last one year ... and he MUST stay out of trouble during the course of the PTI.

If he can satisfy those requirements, prosecutors will drop the 3rd degree aggravated assault charge.

Rice's attorney told ESPN, "We're very happy with the result. We're glad that the court and the prosecutor's office agreed PTI was the appropriate disposition for the case."

As we previously reported, Rice was arrested on February 15 after allegedly beating up Janay Palmer (who he later married) at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

TMZ Sports published video showing Rice dragging Palmer's unconscious body out of a casino elevator ... but Rice's attorney insisted there was more to the story than meets the eye.

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has plead NOT GUILTY to attacking his then-fiance at an Atlantic City casino back in February.

Rice appeared in court in New Jersey moments ago -- with his lawyer and his wife Janay Palmer by his side -- stemming from an incident at the Revel Casino.

TMZ Sports posted footage showing Rice dragging an unconscious Palmer out of an elevator that night before he was arrested for aggravated assault.

Prosecutors reportedly offered Rice a plea deal -- which includes probation and NO jail time if he completes an anger management class. Rice has not officially accepted the deal.

Rice is due back in court on May 29th.

Ray Rice might have to wait a couple of months before the wedding gifts start to roll in -- because TMZ Sports has learned the newly married NFL star isn't having a wedding reception until June.

As we previously reported, the Baltimore Ravens running back traded "I Dos" with longtime girlfriend Janay Palmer last week in a quiet private ceremony.

Now, we know the couple is planning to celebrate the occasion with a standard reception -- but it won't go down for another couple of months. The reason for the delay is unclear.

Ray Rice and his fiancée Janay Palmer put a rush on their wedding -- getting married the day after he was indicted for assaulting her in an Atlantic City casino.

Ray Rice was indicted today for striking his fiancée in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino -- the alleged crime was caught on surveillance video first published by TMZ Sports.

Lessons In Bad Math -- ex-NFL superstar Jamal Lewis once spent $200,000 to pimp out a Ford super-truck that he bought for $150,000. But wait, it gets worse ...

He eventually lost the car because he couldn't afford to pay the bills ... this according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

The former Baltimore Ravens running back -- who famously went bankrupt after his NFL career -- is in the middle of a legal war over his old 2005 Ford F-650 XUV mega-truck.

Here's the story ... back in 2011, Lewis needed a loan for $35k ... and put up his truck as collateral. But when the time came to pay back the money, Jamal was $10k short.

So the lender SOLD THE TRUCK to recoup the $10k.

Problem is ... Jamal says the truck was worth WAYYY more than that ... and now the trustee in his bankruptcy case is demanding the rest of money from the sale of the truck.

Jamal says he has no idea where the truck is now, but the trustee wants at least $140k from the lender to make things right.

The Governor of Maryland tells TMZ Sports ... he feels a "tremendous amount of disappointment" in Baltimore Ravens superstar Ray Rice after learning about his domestic violence arrest.

Gov. Martin O'Malley -- a huge Ravens fan -- was walking through D.C. this weekend when we asked him for his thoughts on the situation ... and it's clear, Martin is pretty devastated.

"You know what, its ... I dont know that it has anything to do with being a fan or not being a fan," O'Malley said.

"You always feel a tremendous amount of disappointment whenever someone finds themselves in a situation involving this sort of domestic violence ... and the public attention to it only makes that pain magnified."

Watch the video ... O'Malley's disappointment is palpable.

If Ray Rice actually laid one finger on his fiancee, he deserves a serious ass-beating ... so says his former Baltimore Ravens teammate T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

T.J. -- who played with Ray back in 2010 -- tells TMZ Sports ... he was "completely floored" when he learned Ray had been arrested for allegedly attacking his fiancee.

"He didn't come across as a guy that would do something like that."

Housh -- who has 3 daughters -- says the footage of Ray dragging his fiancee around the casino "like a sack of potatoes" doesn't help Ray's case ... and if he actually K.O.'d her, as he's been accused of doing, Ray should pay.

"Now I look at it like, 'What if that's my child?' If that's my child, I'm whooping his ass. Or if I cant, I'll find somebody that can or something that can."

T.J. says he'll reserve judgement until all the facts are out ... and still believes Ray is a good dude ... but notes, "You don't know what people do on their own time."

Ray Rice is getting major support from one of his sponsors -- a company that tells TMZ Sports it's STANDING BY the Baltimore Ravens star in the wake of his domestic violence arrest ... at least for now.

Michael Wehrell -- president of the VertiMax sports training equipment company -- tells TMZ Sports Ray has been working with the brand since 2012 and has done a "great job."

Now, with criminal allegations looming, Wehrell tells us VertiMax has "no plans to release him as an endorsee, but we will assess the situation once we get all the facts."

Wehrell notes, "He's had an impeccable track record off the field. He's a great guy and has done a great job working with us."

As for Rice, Ray's attorney says the footage of Ray dragging his seemingly unconscious fiancee out of an elevator on the night of the incident doesn't tell the whole story ... and insists there's more evidence that will clear Ray's name.

Ray Rice has been scratched from a charity event to benefit abused animals ... after organizers decided the circumstances surrounding Ray's domestic violence arrest would be too big of a distraction.

Rice had been scheduled to appear at a kickoff party for the Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' kickoff party on Friday ... but he's since been replaced by Baltimore Ravens teammate Haloti Ngata.

A rep for the MDSPCA told the Baltimore Sun the decision was mutual between the org. and Rice because "they didn't want to take the focus off the animals and the cause."

Of course, Ray's been the center of a media tidal wave after TMZ Sports posted footage showing the running back dragging his seemingly unconscious fiancee out of an elevator at an Atlantic City casino following an alleged domestic incident early Saturday morning.

2:01 PM PT -- According to a court summons issued in New Jersey, Rice is accused of knocking Palmer out cold on the night of the attack by "striking her with his hand" inside the casino.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice dragging his fiancee (who appears to be out cold) out of an elevator in an Atlantic City casino ... moments after cops say they attacked each other on the property.

The footage was shot on February 15th ... right before Rice and his fiancee Janay Palmer were both arrested for assault at the Revel Casino. Cops say they have video which proved both parties attacked each other.

But before the arrest, Ray can be seen trying to lift and move a seemingly unconscious Palmer out of a casino elevator.

While Palmer is sprawled out on the ground, a man in a suit -- who appears to be talking into a security microphone -- approaches the situation and confronts Rice. It's unclear if the man is security, but it sure seems that way.

Moments later, as Palmer seems to regain consciousness, Rice walks away.

Both Rice and Palmer were later arrested and taken to a nearby police station. They've since been released.

Ray's attorney Michael Diamondstein tells us ... he has not seen the video but is adamant, "Neither Ray nor myself will try this case in the media."

He adds, "However, the video that's being posted by TMZ Sports is not the complete event, but is merely the end result of what transpired."

"We'll assure the public that when this matter is fully tried and completed, you'll have a better understanding of what happened and we ask the public to reserve making any judgment until all of the facts come out."

Terrell Suggs doesn't JUST have a Jewish star tattoo inked on his arm ... he also SPEAKS a little Hebrew -- and yesterday, the former NFL Defensive MVP proved it on camera.

Fun Fact -- Terrell kinda sorta considers himself to be Jewish ... hence the tattoo and the Jewish star chain he rocks around town.

So, when the former Super Bowl champ and 6-time Pro Bowler arrived at LAX yesterday, we had to ask if he considered himself the greatest Jewish football player of all time.

Think about it ... sure, there are some great Jewish NFLers (Sid Luckman, Harris Barton, Lyle Alzado) ... but Sizzle's resume has to put him toward the top, right?

Shannon Sharpe tells TMZ Sports ... he's bummed out after getting the news that he's out at "The NFL Today" pregame show at CBS ... but says, "I'm grateful I had ten great years."

CBS announced the move today ... Shannon and Dan Marino will not return to the show next season. Instead, Tony Gonzalez will join the cast.

"Things happen," Sharpe says ... "They made the best decision for them and now I have to make the best decision for me."

Sharpe is adamant he has "no hard feelings" toward CBS -- adding, "They've been great to me."

As for Tony G -- Sharpe says they're friends and he wishes Tony the best of luck.

"I know Tony wanted to do this so I'm happy for him and his family."

So, what's next for Shannon? He's still trying to evaluate his options, but it's clear you haven't heard the last from the Hall of Fame tight end.

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and his fiancee were arrested in NJ on Saturday morning after cops say they STRUCK EACH OTHER inside an Atlantic City casino ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Atlantic City PD tells us officers responded to a domestic dispute the Revel Casino at 2:51 AM involving Ray and his fiancee Janay A. Palmer.

Cops say ... "After reviewing surveillance footage it appeared both parties were involved in a physical altercation. The complaint summons indicates that both Rich and Palmer struck each other with their hands."

Both Ray and Janay refused medical attention -- and no injuries were reported by either party.

They were transported to a nearby police station where they were booked for Simple Assault-Domestic Violence. They were both released on a summons to appear in court.

Congrats to retired NFL star Jamal Lewis for passing the most important test of his life -- an online financial management course -- in an effort to convince a U.S. Bankruptcy court he's a changed man.

We broke the story ... the former Baltimore Ravens running back -- who once racked up more than 2,000 yards in a single season -- filed for bankruptcy back in 2012 after racking up more than $10 MILLION in debts!!

But now, TMZ Sports has learned ... Lewis enrolled in the illustrious "Dave Ramsey Education Course" and completed an online class on February 12th ... bringing hm one step closer to financial recovery.

Terrell Suggs found out keeping eye contact with a smoking hot Sports Illustrated swimsuit model is way tougher than winning a Super Bowl -- even with a theater full of people watching.

It all went down during an S.I. award show celebrating 50 years of hot chicks ... when the Baltimore Ravens stud DE was presenting an award with Jessica Gomes.

To be fair ... T-Sizzle performed the full body eye exam as part of a corny, scripted award show joke -- but watch the clip ... he clearly enjoyed the view. Or he's a really good actor.