Carolina Panthers

Santa Claus is 6'2", 282 pounds and wears a Carolina Panthers jersey... 'cause DT Charles Johnson just hooked up 10 local families with a $30k SHOPPING SPREE!!

Johnson tells TMZ Sports he took 10 families to a Charlotte, NC Walmart ... and gave them 60 minutes to pick out whatever they wanted.

Total bill? 30,000 BUCKS ... according to Johnson.

Although C.J. took care of the whole bill ... teammates Kawann Short, Charles Tillman, and Roman Harper came out to show their support.

So, why drop that much cash? "It's just something I wanted to do."

#Undefeated & #Charitable

Cam Newton is going fox tail crazy -- dropping more than $12k on his new fashionable good luck charms ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Newton's been rockin' the furry new accessory all season -- and plans to continue the trend, picking up more than 60 TAILS at $200 a pop ... so says the guy who makes 'em.

We spoke with Teheran Jones, owner of the Exclusive Game store in Atlanta, who says Cam came up with the idea earlier this year to make the fox tails ... which Jones usually uses on the hoods of jackets.

And Jones says it was a million dollar idea -- 'cause ever since Cam started rockin' the look, his tails have been flying off the shelves -- and even other athletes (including Carl Crawford and Wallace Gilberry) have called to try and harness some of the good luck.

Jones says Newton recently picked up a new batch of the tails to give to his teammates as early Xmas gifts.

So if the Panthers go undefeated we'll all know why ... it's cause the guys got a little tail.

Cam Newton is honoring someone he considers VERY SPECIAL on his next pair of cleats -- himself ... TMZ Sports has learned.

After the Carolina Panthers QB rocked his custom "dabbing" cleats last month, Under Armour reached back out to Dez Customs and Kreative Customs for a special new pair.

The result -- a tribute to his insane 2010 college season -- the year he won the Heisman Trophy (and basically every other award you can get).

With the Heisman ceremony going down this weekend, the cleats will serve as a 5 year anniversary tribute ... to himself.

We're told Cam will only sport the cleats during WARM UPS -- since they're not Panthers colors -- and will swap into an NFL approved pair come game time.

TMZ Sports asked Mercury Morris -- the mouthpiece of the '72 Miami Dolphins -- how he felt about the Carolina Panthers making a run at an undefeated season. His response:

"Go ask the Patriots how difficult it is to do it and how they feel about some little kid in Guatemala wearing those perfect 19-0 Super Bowl tees."

The 68-year-old running back says he's impressed with Cam Newton and company, but says at the end of the day -- it only gets harder from here.

"I have to take my hat off to them. It's not easy to get 12 wins," Morris says.

However, Mercury warns that a "ton of teams" have made it to 12 only to lose at game 13. "The Broncos did it, Colts and the Saints a few years back."

"Let [the Panthers] get past that jinx of the 13th game and then come ask me again if I think they will have a perfect season."

Still, Morris says even if they run the table, they'll always play second fiddle to the '72 Fins.

"Do you know the second biggest canyon in the U.S.? No, because everyone only knows about the Grand Canyon. No one cares about the second to do anything."

Cam Newton could deliver an epic SCREW YOU to all his anti-dabbing critics -- 'cause he's got a pair of custom cleats coming his way for his Thanksgiving day game ... featuring Cam doing his dance.

Here's what we know ... the cleats were commissioned by Under Armour -- which sponsors Cam -- and designed by two artists, Dez Customs and Kreative Customs.

We're told the artists were informed Cam wanted a special pair of custom kicks when he takes the field against the Cowboys.

The result? Imagery of Cam doing his signature moves ... dabbing and striking his Superman pose. The shoes also include the words "grateful" and "thankful."

We're told he's expected to wear 'em for the game ... but there's always a chance he could change his plans.

Cam's dancing has been a lightning rod for critics lately -- so it'll be one hell of a statement if he straps on the shoes on one of the biggest stages in sports ... the Turkey Day classic.

Cam Newton is totally gonna freak when he sees this ...

His ex-Carolina Panthers teammate Chris Ogbonnaya told TMZ Sports he pulled off the most elaborate prank ever on the superstar QB ... and this video officially marks the end of it.

Ogbonnaya -- who now plays for the NY Giants -- was leaving Mastro's this week when we asked the running back about the best prank he's pulled since he's been in the NFL.

He then told us about how a slight mix-up led to Cam believing he was raised in Nigeria, and how Chris turned that into an epic gag that never ended ... even when he ran into Newton at the Super Bowl last month.

In fact, the only way Newton will learn Ogbonnaya is actually from TEXAS ... is if he watches this video.

Former Carolina Panthers star Greg Hardy is off the hook in his domestic violence case ... after prosecutors say the accuser could not be located to testify against him.

The 26-year-old was arrested in North Carolina back in May after his GF told cops he beat the living crap out of her and threatened to kill her during a jealous late night rage.

Hardy was convicted -- but he appealed the case ... and a hearing was supposed to begin Monday.

But prosecutors told the judge Hardy's ex went off the grid -- and with no accuser, there's essentially no case ... and the charges against Hardy were dismissed.

6:26 AM PT -- Turns out the women that were hanging with Draymond were Steph Curry's wife and mother.

You can see Steph's mom, Sonya, shooting a thumbs down sign at the fans during the exchange.

No word on where Steph was when it all went down.

NBA player Draymond Green THREW FOOD at a bunch of Seahawks fans at CenturyLink Field yesterday during an altercation involving his group of Panthers fans ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

Green's group was seated in a private box -- and sources tell us there was a LOT of smacktalking between his group and the Seahawks fans sitting below him.

But toward the end of the game, when Seattle started piling it on ... things got especially heated -- and that's when the Golden State Warriors bigman grabbed some food and fired it at the Hawks fans.

Someone else in the group also tossed some food down below.

We're told no one got kicked out of the game -- it was already so close to the final whistle that everyone just dispersed. But the Seattle fans definitely had some words for Green as they left.

We reached out to Green and his reps for comment -- so far, no word back.

Cam Newton says he's SHOCKED that he wasn't killed or seriously injured in that frightening rollover crash Tuesday -- and says he's been constantly thanking God that he survived.

The Carolina Panthers QB just released a statement on Instagram ... saying when he looks at images of the wreck he immediately begins to think, "soMEone is supposed to be dead or severely injured worse than what I am right now!"

Cam says the accident has strengthened his faith in god ... and says, "Someone has there protective hands on my life shielding me from any danger that may come my way!"

He continued, "I know one thing, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF 'IF' you are holding a grudge against someone, 'IF' you don't tell the people that's close and dear to you that 'YOU LOVE THEM' every chance you get."

"SHAMEonYOU if YOU go another second in life with holding a grudge or HATING on someone, taking life for granted, or just not appreciating the breath you just breathed."

"Trust and believe there are plenty people with illnesses, people in the hospital, or even people that are 6ft under the earth that W1SH they had "another"opportunity to do so!"

It's been a great morning for Cam Newton -- not only was he released from the hospital following Tuesday's car crash, but he also learned he won't be charged with a crime.

According to the Carolina Panthers, Newton "has soreness but is in good spirits. He's excited to be discharged and begin recuperating with family."

The Charlotte PD tells TMZ Sports ... Cam did nothing wrong when it comes to the accident and he will not be charged.

Cam suffered two "transverse fractures" in his lower back, and his status for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay is still up in the air.

Oh yeah ... Cam was also named NFC Offensive Player of the Week today.

TMZ Sports has obtained new pics of Cam Newton's truck -- which show just how bad it was banged up in Tuesday's wreck.

After the collision, which occurred right near Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, Cam's Dodge Ram 1500 truck was hauled to a nearby tow yard.

Sources tell us the truck sustained so much damage from the rollover crash, it's considered a total loss.

It's fortunate Newton didn't have a passenger in the car -- because as you can see in the photo, the roof on the front passenger side caved in when it rolled over. Witnesses say the car rolled at least 2 times.

The truck was not your average Dodge Ram -- we're told it was pimped out especially for Cam ... with a custom lift job and other cool features.

Of course, Newton walked away with only minor fractures in his back -- but he's gotta be bummed to lose the ride.

12:31 PM PT -- Cam suffered two "transverse fractures" in his lower back and will remain in the hospital overnight ... according to the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was hospitalized after his truck was flipped over in a car wreck Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Officials say two cars were involved in the wreck ... Cam's truck and a sedan ... which collided on a bridge right in front of Bank of America Stadium where the Panthers play.

Cam was seen on his back on the side of the bridge where the accident took place ... grimacing in pain. Several people were seen tending to the 25-year-old QB.

We're told Cam kept trying to stand up after the accident ... but couldn't ... and eventually relented and waited for help to arrive.

Multiple emergency vehicles raced to the scene. Cam reportedly told paramedics he did NOT want to be transported to the hospital ... but eventually gave in.

He was placed on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance which rushed him to a nearby hospital.

As for the condition of the other driver, officials tell us the person was also transported to the hospital -- but did not suffer any life-threatening injuries.

A witness at the scene tells TMZ Sports ... Newton was "t-boned" from the left side, swerved, and then flipped over.

The witness says he observed Cam crawling out of the back window of the truck ... he walked over to the curb and laid down.

The witness says, "Cam didn't blow any lights or stop signs" and believes Cam had the right of way through the intersection where he was struck.

Story developing ...

The Carolina Panthers have decided to DEACTIVATE superstar defensive end Greg Hardy because of his domestic violence conviction -- a decision that was made by the team Sunday morning and it seems fairly obvious it's all because of the Ray Rice situation.

Back in July, a North Carolina judge found Hardy guilty of attacking his girlfriend and threatening her life during an altercation in May -- but the Panthers and the NFL decided not to punish Hardy while he appealed the decision and pursued a jury trial.

Translation -- THEY SAT ON THEIR HANDS AND DID NOTHING FOR MONTHS.

But now, in the wake of the Ray Rice scandal -- and a public outcry against the NFL for taking too light of a stance against domestic violence -- the Panthers have decided to deactivate Hardy for today's game.

As for the incident, Hardy's ex had claimed he beat the living crap out of her and threatened to kill her during a jealous late-night rage.

The woman had testified that Hardy got angry that night when he heard a Nelly song at a nightclub -- which angered him because the woman had briefly dated the rapper when she was on a break from Hardy.

Story developing ...

DeAngelo Williams didn't just kill the Giants this year ... he also slaughtered some deer, turkey, rabbit and duck ... 'cause the Carolina Panthers running back is a hardcore hunting machine.

"I hunt all year round," Williams tells TMZ Sports ... "In season, out of season. I hunt everything."

He's not kidding ... Williams documents his kills on social media -- posting photos of the animals he tracks down and shoots.

But Williams insists he doesn't just hunt for the hell of it -- "I shoot to eat. If you kill it, you eat it. I tell my friends, if you kill a skunk, you eat it."

“I make my own jerky. My specialty is deer jerky. My 3-year-old loves it.”

The 30-year-old Arkansas native says it's all part of his obsession with nature -- "There’s no traffic, no people. Right before you pull the trigger you almost feel one with the animal.”

"Last year I shot a 20 pound turkey!"

It's been a GREAT couple of weeks for Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano ... 'cause right before he signed his new $12 MILLION contract, his wife gave birth to their 2nd kid ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Graham tells us ... right after his son was born (the couple's 2nd boy) ... some of his Panthers teammates sent fancy baby gifts to the house ... including a Mamaroo, courtesy of linebacker Chase Blackburn. Apparently, babies love those things.

Graham says ... even ex-teammates hooked baby Gano up with some fresh gear, including former Panthers defensive end Everett Brown -- who sent several boxes of gifts.

As for how Gano plans to celebrate the new contract, Graham tells us he can't really go crazy because of the kid -- but he does have some bachelor parties coming up and hopes his wife will give him a break from baby duty to let him go.

Yeah, good luck with that!!

Fear not NFL fans -- the giant prostitution sting in NYC will NOT ruin Super Bowl week ... so says Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams.

As we previously reported, cops in the Big Apple just busted a dozen hookers who had allegedly been advertising their "services" all over town ... a huge blow to people hoping to bang whores during the big weekend.

But Williams has a message to those who will affected by the sudden ho shortage -- it's ok, you'll get through it.