New England Patriots

The New England Patriots tell TMZ Sports ... they CAN'T officially prevent Chandler Jones from fighting his UFC star brother Jon Jones ... but stepping in the ring COULD void his NFL contract.

As we previously reported, Chandler is 100% confident he could beat up his big bro if they stepped into the octagon -- and wants to set up a 1-round charity fight to prove his point.

Chandler had previously told us that the whole thing would hinge on if the Patriots coaching staff gave him the green light.

Well, we spoke with the Patriots VP of Media Relations ... who tells us, "It's not a matter of if we'd allow Chandler to fight his brother. We can't stop the players from doing what they want. But he might be voiding his contract obligations to the team if he went out and did it."

The rep continues, "Without getting into a specific contract, there have to be clauses [in contracts] that protect the team ... restrictions of physical activity that would risk injury. Whether it be skiing, jumping out of a plane or riding a motorcycle without a helmet in a state that requires one."

"I think they're having fun, but do I think fighting is something they're actually serious about? No."

"They're brothers. They have a sibling rivalry. Take the Gronkowski brothers ... there's not a Gronk among them that would say Rob's better at anything."

Choking to the New England Patriots wasn't so bad after all ... so says Seahawks mega-fan Chris Pratt who says his Super Bowl wager with Chris Evans was the "best bet I ever lost."

Of course, Pratt agreed to visit the kids at Evans' Boston-based charity after the defeat ... dressed as Star-Lord ... while the "Captain America" actor taunted him with a Tom Brady jersey.

The kids loved it -- and clearly, so did Chris, who told us the whole experience was "beautiful."

The clip's pretty great ... especially the part where Pratt's famous friend (an actor who's been in a bunch of stuff) jockeys for camera time on the way into a bar ... hilarious stuff.

New England Patriots star Chandler Jones is now TROLLING his UFC star brother -- claiming Jon Jones is SCARED to fight him ... and is running and hiding like a coward.

We broke the story ... Chandler says he's 100% down to fight his big bro, who happens to be the reigning UFC light heavyweight champ, and wants to set up a match for charity.

But in NYC this weekend, while waiting to hail a cab with teammate Rob Gronkowski, Chandler called out his brother right on the street ... literally ... he dialed Jon up on his cell.

As we previously reported, Chandler is dead serious about making the fight happen ... as long as he gets approval from the Pats.

Stay tuned ...

Rob Gronkowski tells TMZ Sports he's definitely thinking about doing "Dancing with the Stars" one day ... but says he's worried that formal training will RUIN his trademark skills.

Gronk was out in NYC this weekend ... where he broke SEVERAL pieces of big news, including:

-- Did he nail that hot local reporter on Valentine's Day?
-- He's been training teammate Chandler Jones to fight his brother Jon "Bones" Jones
-- He NEVER wants to leave the New England Patriots.

Oh, he also notices our photog is wearing a Miami Dolphins hat ... SO HE SPIKES THE HELL OUT OF IT!!!

Check out the clip -- amazingness.

File Under: YEEAAHHHHH GRONK!!!!

This is the story of Fort Myers Fox 4 reporter Tara Molina ... who tracked down Rob Gronkowski on the beach this week -- and decided to ask him how he plans to spend Valentine's Day.

His response? Well ... it's about as Gronk as it gets.

Just one tip for Molina -- don't plan on getting flowers ... we know how Gronk feels about those.

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman's stock is still on the rise after his impressive Super Bowl performance -- in fact, he's now on Jay Z's radar ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Our sources tell us ... Edelman has a meeting with Roc Nation Sports in NYC Thursday afternoon to see if there may be opportunities to work together.

We're told Edelman isn't jumping ship on his current representation (as one source put it, he's "super happy" with them) ... but when Jay Z calls, you listen.

Our sources say Edelman's camp believes there may be some marketing and branding opportunities with Roc Nation Sports ... which has already established relationships with some pretty big brands including Budweiser and Geico.

UFC champ Jon Jones is being CALLED OUT by his own brother -- NFL star Chandler Jones -- who tells TMZ Sports he's ready and willing to step in the octagon with JJ 'cause he's 100% confident he could beat his ass.

"Me and my brother used to fight all the time when we were young ... and I'm pretty sure I can take him down now. I am way bigger than he is," Chandler tells us.

For the record, Jon is the reigning UFC light heavyweight champ. Chandler just won the Super Bowl.

By the way, Chandler is dead serious ... and says he wants to set up a fight for charity.

"It will be fun if we actually did a one-round match for charity ... that would be fun. If I win, he would have to donate to the charity of my choice and vice versa."

So, how would one fight such an accomplished mixed martial artist? "I would just throw him to the ground."

Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler is riding high right now ... 'cause the dude just got himself a brand new FREE TRUCK ... and it's all thanks to Tom Brady.

Of course, Brady got a Chevy Colorado for being named MVP of the Super Bowl -- but said he wanted to give it to Butler ... who made the game-saving interception.

Well, Chevy heard Brady loud and clear ... and instead of letting Tom part ways with his prize, they decided to hook Butler up too ... and Tuesday in Massachusetts, Butler finally got his ride!!

"I am ecstatic that Chevrolet has chosen to reward me with a Colorado. It is just another unreal event in what has been an incredible week."

Still no word on what Brady plans to do with his truck.

Aaron Hernandez's fiancee has been granted immunity in exchange for her testimony in the former NFL star's murder trial ... but the extent of her protection is a big question mark.

The judge in the Odin Lloyd murder trial just announced an "endorsement for immunity to Shayanna Jenkins."

In the past, prosecutors have accused Shayanna of disposing of possible evidence at Hernandez's request ... after Odin's murder.

Now here's the mystery -- the judge has sealed the record ... so it's unclear how much protection Shayanna will receive in exchange for spilling her guts.

According to reports, prosecutors claim Shayanna has already been busted lying to the grand jury 29 times ... so, in theory, the "immunity" could merely protect her from perjury charges.

On the other hand, it's possible the immunity could sweep more broadly ... and protect her from more serious charges if she incriminates herself on the stand.

More than 100 MILLION people watched him in the Super Bowl ... and he was calm under pressure.

But New England Patriots hero Malcolm Butler got super nervous last night at the 2015 Grammys when he and Julian Edelman presented one of the awards ... with less than 1/3 of the audience watching.

Don't get us wrong -- we love the guy ... but you could feel his nerves through the TV (deep breath man!!!).

Meantime, Julian Edelman's right ... Josh Duhamel does look like Tom Brady.

Rob Gronkowski ain't the only guy on the Patriots who loves to party -- Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler hit the club scene hard in Vegas last night ... and TMZ Sports has the pics!

Butler was the guest of honor at Chateau nightclub in the Paris Las Vegas -- where the 24-year-old got his own booth, his own custom champagne ... and his own personal cheerleaders.

Multiple sources tell us Butler was super nice to everyone -- taking pics with fans and dancing all night long.

It's been a pretty good month for Butler -- as we previously reported, Chevy decided to give him a FREE TRUCK for making that game-saving interception in the Super Bowl.

2:20 PM PT -- Chevy confirms Butler will get his own truck on Tuesday.

Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler is one step closer to getting a free truck ... because the powers that be at Chevy are actively discussing hooking him up ... so Tom Brady won't have to give up his MVP ride.

TMZ Sports spoke with a rep for Chevrolet who tells us ... they're well aware of Tom's intentions to give his Chevy Colorado to Butler ... but they don't want to see Tom part ways with the vehicle.

"Obviously, it was part of his prize as MVP, but we're aware of Tom Brady's wishes for Malcolm to have the truck," the rep tells us.

So, we asked if Chevy would be giving Butler a ride of his own ... and the rep told us, "We've discussed it. That's all I can really say right now."

Sounds to us like plans are in motion ... but when we pushed, the rep was pretty tight lipped.

Bottom line ... if you're Malcolm Butler, you might wanna start making room in your garage.

Chris Pratt is like a Lannister ... he always pays his debts -- and today, the "Guardians of the Galaxy" star dressed up as Star-Lord to make good on his Super Bowl wager with Chris Evans.

You already know the bet ... Star-Lord (Seahawks fan) and Captain America (Pats fan) agreed to visit the other actor's charity in costume if their team lost the big game.

Well, today it happened ... with Pratt -- in character -- hangin' with kids from Christopher's Haven in Boston ... an organization that helps provide housing for families with children fighting pediatric cancer.

Don't worry, Evans was there the whole time to follow Pratt around with a Tom Brady jersey.

And the story gets better ... because Evans says he'll be visiting Pratt's charity too -- a Seattle Children's Hospital.

To the victor, GO THE CHEESEBURGERS ... so says Rob Gronkowski who tells TMZ Sports he's been on a celebratory cheeseburger binge ever since he won the big game.

"I've been eating cheeseburgers off the charts," Gronk told us out in NYC earlier today.

Don't worry, the burgerfest is only temporary ... Gronk says he'll be back on his regular diet in just a few days -- but if anyone's EARNED a burger break, it's this guy.

Bonus -- Gronk told us he'll be spending time in L.A. this summer and says he hopes he can continue making waves in Hollywood ... where he's already landed a movie role ("Entourage") and TV cameos ("Whose Line Is It Anyway?").

Supermodel Chrissy Teigen is coming out swingin' against the woman who shot a pic of a sleeping Julian Edelman and posted it to Tinder ... slamming the whole thing stupid and ridiculous.

The woman who snapped the shot, Sabrina, has already been blacklisted from Boston nightclubs by people who feel she shamelessly violated the New England Patriot player's privacy.

And Wednesday at The Grove in L.A., Teigen told us the problem is bigger than it seems -- "A lot of chicks do that sh*t. It's so ridiculous."

Teigen explained, "Everyone's a little too proud nowadays. I think these girls should relax a bit."

It was bottles and models for the New England Patriots Tuesday night ... poppin' a giant $12,500 bottle of bubbly in a Boston nightclub ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

Several members of the Super Bowl championship squad hit up Bijou nightclub ... including Chandler Jones, Akeem Ayers, Devin McCourty, Jonas Gray, Brandon LaFell and Jimmy Garoppolo.

We're told the guys went through one 15-liter "Nebuchadnezzar" of Belaire -- $12,500 a pop -- plus 50 BOTTLES of the regular sized Luc Belaire Rare Rose.