Carolina Panthers

Another big play from Cam Newton -- who hopped on a jet and flew to Atlanta to meet up with a 10-year-old fan who's gearing up for a heart surgery ... and the video is incredible.

The Panthers QB got word of Austin Deckard -- a HUGE Auburn football fan who's battling advanced pulmonary hypertension and is scheduled to have a stent implanted in his heart this week.

Newton flew to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta hospital to surprise Austin ... and got the biggest HUG he'd even gotten in his life!

Cam also brought a bag full of gifts for Austin -- including Under Armour gear and Nerf guns ... which he signed.

Breaking news ... Cam Newton found a tie!

After the infamous "dress code violation" that landed him on the bench earlier this month, the Carolina Panthers QB arrived to FedExField in Maryland to play the Redskins in a hat that screams ... "What??"

Panthers coach Ron Rivera hasn't seemed to mind Cam's crazy hats before ... so this one shouldn't be a problem.

... as long as he's rockin' that necktie.

Cam Newton raged WAYYY too hard in the Bev Hills mansion he rented after the Super Bowl -- throwing crazy parties and causing nearly $100k in damage ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson told police he was reaching for a dropped cell phone when he lost control of his car and smashed into another vehicle head-on early Sunday morning ... cops say.

Shaq -- the team's 2015 1st round draft pick -- was behind the wheel of a 2016 Chevy SUV which slammed into a 2004 Lexus SUV driven by former Duke QB Anthony Boone at 7:45 AM.

When cops arrived to the crash scene near Shaq's Charlotte-area home, the NFL player was given a breathalyzer -- which turned up traces of alcohol ... but cops say it was well BELOW the legal limit.

"He had some residual left over from the night before, but nothing where it was impairing or anything like that,” Sgt. Ben Miller of the State Highway’s Union County told the Charlotte Observer.

TMZ Sports also spoke with law enforcement officials who say Shaq said he had been playing music off his cell phone but dropped it ... and that's when he made the ill-fated decision to reach down and pick it up.

Officials tell us Boone was not wearing a seat belt -- and was hospitalized for a broken pelvis and broken ribs.

Shaq told police he was not seriously injured. He was not arrested -- but was cited for crossing the center lane.

No matter which team picks up Josh Norman, one thing's for sure -- DUDE'S GONNA BE FILTHY RICH ... so says Reggie Bush.

Bush was out in Hollywood Wednesday night -- and even though he didn't know the details behind why the Carolina Panthers removed the franchise player tag on the superstar cornerback, he's positive the move will pay off for Josh.

UFC superstar Chris Weidman played the role of Super Bowl bet debt settler in the TMZ office ... punishing the producer who picked the Panthers to win -- by delivering a right-handed pie to the face.

It all went down while Weidman was co-hosting the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 -- and brought up the bet Evan and Van made with Weidman back in February.

The initial bet was "loser gets a leg kick from Chris Weidman" ... but Van (he picked the Panthers) was able to negotiate down to a pie to the face.

Another day, another NFL stud dying to be on "Dancing with the Stars" ... this time it's Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart who says his two-step skills are dope enough to bring home the mirror ball trophy.

Stewart recently took to Instagram to make it known he wants to be on the show so when we got him out at LAX of course we wanted to know ... dude, you serious?

Turns out he is ... and he told our camera guy he's totally wanting to put on his dancing shoes as long as it doesn't interfere with his day job.

Hey, we're cool with anybody on the Panthers team dancing ... except for that one guy.

Cam Newton still had so much energy left after beating up on the AZ Cardinals Sunday night -- the Panthers QB hit a North Carolina nightclub to celebrate ... and even did some dabbin' in the DJ booth.

The Arizona Cardinals could be in trouble ... 'cause the Carolina Panthers have EXTRA motivation to win on Sunday -- 150 LBS. of BACON & SAUSAGE -- courtesy of Waffle House.

The Panthers have joked that their secret weapon is WH food. Now, one win away from the Super Bowl, Waffle House has plans in motion to hook up Cam and the guys with a HUGE breakfast ... should they be victorious.

"We have reached out to the team and told them to name the place and time," a Waffle House spokesperson tells TMZ Sports. "We will be there ready to provide them with their much-needed Waffle House food."

The menu? 100 to 150 pounds of bacon and sausage ... as well as all the waffles the team can eat!!

#BreakfastOf(possible)Champions

The adorable father, son dabbing shirt Cam Newton wore before Sunday's playoff game is NOT FOR SALE ... with Under Armour telling TMZ Sports it was a custom 1-of-1 design.

Cam rocked the shirt as a tribute to his new baby boy Chosen -- who was born just before Christmas ... but the Internet blew up with people infatuated with the fashion.

But we spoke to a rep for Under Armour who tells us fans of the shirt are S.O.L. ... 'cause it was specially made for the Panthers QB.

"The shirt was custom for Cam and is not available at retail."

The adorable little girl who got a TD ball from Carolina Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart Sunday drove 100 miles with her family to attend the game ... and says she'll NEVER sell it, EVER!!

The lucky fan is 8-year-old Isabella -- who was at the game with her mom, dad and brother who are all Panthers super fans ... and usually sit in the nosebleed section when they attend games.

But Isabella's father, Kelly, tells TMZ Sports he splurged for the playoff game -- dropping more than $2,500 for the killer end zone seats because he felt something special was going to happen.

He was right.

Isabella became an instant Internet sensation due to her priceless reaction when Stewart singled her out and handed her the ball after scoring the 1st TD of the game.

"She let us all hold the ball, she was super excited!"

Kelly says he ordered a case for the ball the second he got home -- and it's currently on display in their living room.

"We're holding on to it forever," Kelly says ... "Never to be sold. We're too big of fans."

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.