NFL's Julian Edelman PASS THE BATON I'm Takin' Over the Orchestra

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CUE THE MUSIC!
Boston Pops Orchestra

Tom Brady ain't the only Patriots star who gets to lead ... 'cause star wideout Julian Edelman took his turn calling the shots last night ... conducting the world famous Boston Pops orchestra.

Edelman took over the Symphony Hall stage late Wednesday for the 34th annual "President At Pops" fundraiser and led the orchestra in a grand finale of "Stars and Stripes Forever."

We're told Edelman actually took his gig pretty seriously ... meeting up with veteran conductor Keith Lockhart earlier in the day to get a few pointers.

This isn't the first time a big sports star has picked up a baton for the Pops ... Shaquille O'Neal took on the task back in 2010 and we gotta say ... he left some pretty big (size 22) shoes to fill.

FYI -- We're told Julian did a great job ... the only question left is when is it gonna be Gronk's turn?

Check out the vid.

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HERE COMES THE BAND
YouTube.com

Rob Gronkowski Gronks His Way Out of Party Bus Tow Job

Two Boston tow truck operators didn't want to go down as the guys who hauled off Rob Gronkowski's party bus, so they let him off the hook ... and the Gronk couldn't have been happier.

Matthew from Todisco Towing tells TMZ Sports he was called to Howl at the Moon in Boston early Sunday morning to haul off a bus that was parked illegally in a private lot.

Despite the bus being adorned with a Body Armor logo (which Rob endorses) and his #87 ... Matthew claims he had no idea he was about to tow Gronk's ride.

Once the bus was up on the truck and ready to go, Matthew says several patrons began asking him, "Don't you know whose bus that is?"

Then, someone from Rob's entourage came out and promised to move it ... and Matthew decided, "I didn’t want to find out what the end result would be if I had towed the truck. You know Pats fans wouldn’t have that."

So Matthew let the truck down and that's when Gronk emerged -- super thankful for the reprieve -- and posed for a few pics.

Matthew was quick to tell us ... Gronk never asked anyone to stop or offered any kind of favor. Everyone involved was just acting out of the kindness of their hearts.

Not everyone was so lucky ... a few other cars did get towed that night.

Pays to be Gronk.

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GRONK SMASH!!!
TMZSports.com

Terrell Suggs on Deflategate: Patriots Got Off Way Easy

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REMEMBER THAT?
TMZSports.com

We already know he doesn't like Tom Brady ... and Tom Brady's hair -- but now it seems NFL superstar Terrell Suggs doesn't like TB's Deflategate punishment either.

The Baltimore Ravens stud was leaving Mastro's Steakhouse in Bev Hills last night when we asked if the Pats got what they deserved -- $1 million fine, loss of draft picks and the 4-game suspension for Brady.

Sugg's response -- "I don't know. That's not my job. I'm glad I don't got it ... but the last coach that got caught cheating got suspended for a whole year. So ..."

Seems he's strongly suggesting Brady and the gang got off SUPER EASY compared to New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton who was banned from the league for the entire 2013 season for allegedly covering up Bountygate, where players targeted opponents for cash bonuses.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft says he will NOT appeal the team's punishment ... maybe he sees Terrell's point -- it could've been worse.

Jerry Ferrara Tom Brady Is Finished As Fantasy Football 1st Rounder

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HE CAN'T HANG
TMZSports.com

Jerry Ferrara thinks that the Tom Brady era is definitely OVER ... in fantasy football ... telling TMZ Sports Tom Terrific is no longer worthy of a first round fantasy draft pick.

The "Entourage" star (and fantasy nut) was in NYC promoting his other movie "Club Life" when asked if the suspended Brady was still studly enough to command one of the top picks in next year's fantasy drafts.

Jerry's answer is a solid NO ... which isn't surprising because he's a HUGE New York Giants fan ... but slightly controversial because his boss Mark Wahlberg LOVES him some Tom Brady.

Be careful Jerry ... we want to see Turtle return for "Entourage 2."

Aaron Hernandez I Didn't Shoot Murder Witness in the Face ... To Intimidate Him

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IN COURT
WCVB

Aaron Hernandez pled not guilty to witness intimidation -- denying that he shot his friend in the face to keep him from testifying in a double murder investigation.

According to the district attorney's office, Hernandez intimidated his friend Alexander Bradley -- who allegedly witnessed the tight-end shoot and kill Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu in 2012 over a spilled drink.

Hernandez has pled not guilty to the murder charges.

The Suffolk County DA believes Hernandez was paranoid about cops watching him after the murders ... and shot Bradley while driving home from a club in Florida.

Bradley survived, but lost an eye in the shooting.

FYI ... looks like Hernandez got some new prison ink too... a star on his neck included with the word "lifetime."

Interesting choice -- given his life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd.

Robert Kraft Goodell Can't Touch This ... Fancy Dinner with Hot GF

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HANDS OFF, COMMISH
TMZSports.com

Robert Kraft has the perfect distraction from all that Deflategate "rhetoric and dialogue" -- a night out in Hollywood with his 34-year-old girlfriend.

The Patriots owner hit up Craig's in West Hollywood, and immediately got peppered with questions about the NFL's punishment of his team and his QB. The only thing Bob really wanted to talk about was his dinner ... but he happily signed a bunch of autographs.

More importantly ... Kraft had his smoke show ex-model gf Ricki Noel Lander with him. She's gotta help take the sting outta losing a million bucks and 2 draft picks.

Come to think of it ... Tom Brady has a similar remedy for this troubles.

Report: Aaron Hernandez Busted for Being Lookout in Prison Fight

More trouble for convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez -- the ex-NFL star was reportedly busted by prison officials this week for being a lookout (poorly, it appears) in a violent prison fight.

The fight was gang-related, says CNN ... which reports Hernandez agreed to help out an inmate who went into another prisoner's cell and attacked him.

Shocking, considering Hernandez is currently locked up at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center -- one of the most high-tech maximum security prisons in the country.

Then again, he's already got a life sentence ... so what does he care?!

It's not the first time Hernandez has been involved in a fight behind bars -- TMZ Sports broke the story Hernandez fought an inmate at Bristol County Jail back in 2014.

He was charged for that attack ... and for threatening a jail guard.

Aaron Hernandez I Didn't Take Pleasure In Odin Lloyd's Death

Aaron Hernandez claims he should NOT have been convicted of 1st degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd -- claiming the killing was not "cruel" enough to warrant such a harsh charge.

Hernandez's lawyers filed new court docs challenging the verdict in the Lloyd case ... in which they spell out why Aaron should have, at most, been convicted of 2ND degree murder instead.

Here's why ...

Team Hernandez says 1st degree murder requires either premeditation or extreme cruelty. Aaron's lawyers say the ex-NFL star was NOT convicted on premeditation so they're attacking the "cruelty" angle.

In the docs, AH's lawyers state ... since Lloyd was shot 6 times and died "rapidly," there's no evidence of suffering. Furthermore, they say no witnesses heard Lloyd yell or scream.

There's more ... AH's lawyers say to prove cruelty, you must also show the killer "took pleasure" or was indifferent about killing. Team Hernandez says there was no evidence to show Hernandez "took pleasure in any suffering experienced by Lloyd."

Long story short ... AH's team believes Lloyd's murder was a run of the mill gun death -- nothing more or less cruel than any other.

Now, it's up to the judge who will decide whether or not to overturn the verdict.

Anthony Anderson & Marcus Allen We Solved DeflateGate!

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UNFILTERED
TMZSports.com

Did you know ... "Blackish" star Anthony Anderson is friends with NFL legend Marcus Allen?

It's true ... and yesterday at LAX, the guys had a pretty hilarious explanation for the whole Deflategate situation -- it all comes down to pee!

The whole video is pretty hilarious ... with Anderson crackin' jokes just to get Marcus to laugh.

Check out the clip ...

Aaron Hernandez Fiancee Perjury Charge Dropped After Helping Convict NFL Star

The judge in the Aaron Hernandez murder case ... the first one ... has officially thrown out the perjury charge against Aaron's fiancee Shayanna Jenkins after she provided testimony that led to the conviction of the ex-NFL star.

Jenkins had struck a deal with prosecutors before she got on the stand -- she would talk and in exchange they would toss out a previous perjury charge.

The perjury charge stemmed from comments Jenkins made to the grand jury in 2013 regarding a gun in her home ... that may have been the weapon used to murder Odin Lloyd. If convicted, she faced up to 20 years behind bars.

Prosecutors say Jenkins' testimony at the trial -- that she helped Aaron dispose of a mystery box after Odin's death -- helped them win the case.

The operating theory is that the box contained the murder weapon.

Now, Hernandez is doing life in prison ... and Shayanna is off the hook.

New England Patriots Blast Wells Report ... With Fun Pee Fact

The New England Patriots just released a SCATHING new statement blasting the Wells Report ... once again insisting that Tom Brady did nothing wrong.

In the docs, the team makes its argument using strong scientific evidence ... and one fun fact about male urination ... a Pee Fact, if you will.

Here's the long and short of it ...

One of the key parts of the Wells Report is pointing out that Patriots locker room staffer Jim McNally went to a bathroom with game balls before the AFC Championship game. The insinuation is that McNally deflated the balls while inside the crapper.

Here's the Patriots retort:

"The report does not address whether one minute and 40 (seconds) is consistent with the time that it takes a gentleman to enter a bathroom, relieve himself, wash his hands, and leave. In fact, it is."

So, there you have it ... according to the Pats ... it takes a dude 100 seconds to drain the lizard, wash up and leave the bathroom.

And that's exactly what the Patriots believe happened.

#PeeFacts

Odell Beckham Jr. Spikes Gronk... Wins Madden Cover

Odell Beckham Jr. just made the biggest catch of the NFL off-season ... snatching the "Madden 16" cover right out of the hands of fellow finalist Rob Gronkowski.

Beckham Jr. and Gronk beat out a bunch of other NFL studs ... like the Cardinals' Patrick Peterson and Steelers wideout Antonio Brown ... to become the last two dudes standing on Madden island.

Fan votes determined the final winner, and Odell took it home with a super narrow 52.5% of the votes -- but arguably Gronk is the real winner here.

There's a little thing known as the Madden curse ... and the Giants star is now susceptible to the same fate suffered by Garrison Hearst, Peyton Hillis, Shaun Alexander, Vince Young, and bunch more.

Even last year's cover guy -- Richard Sherman ... jacked up his elbow and lost the Super Bowl.

Ummm ... congrats, Odell?

We asked Giants co-owner Steve Tisch last week about OBJ possibly getting the honor (?) -- he was less than thrilled.

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I'M NOT SIGNING OFF!
TMZSports.com

Brady's Backup QB Now Worth Almost as Much as Tom!! In Trading Card World

If you're in the market for a Jimmy Garoppolo card, you shoulda bought it last week -- 'cause the Tom Brady backup's trading card is SKYROCKETING!

Ever since Brady was suspended ... Garoppolo's been a hot commodity, and not just for Bill Belichick. TMZ Sports found out his signed rookie card is worth more than 100 times what it was before Tom got nailed.

A rep for COMC -- a top online auction site -- tells us ... "His card was originally selling for $2.25, but as soon as Tom Brady's suspension was announced, Garoppolo's card skyrocketed to $278."

Put down your smartphone ... we already did the math, and that's a 12,256% increase. By comparison, the rep says a signed Brady card will set you back about $290.

Trading cards are nice and all, but Tom still has the 4 Super Bowl rings ... and Gisele.

Scoreboard.

Seahawks' Michael Bennett Tom Brady's a Cheater

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THE SHOE FITS
TMZSports.com

No more sugarcoating it ... Tom Brady is a cheater ... period ... so says Seattle Seahawks badass Michael Bennett.

Bennett -- one of the best defensive ends in the NFL -- played against Brady in the game AFTER the Deflategate ... and though he admits Seattle got beat fair and square in the Super Bowl, MB says there's no question Tom broke the rules in the AFC Championship.

But after that, this clip gets HILARIOUS -- here are the CliffsNotes:

-- Advice for QB Russell Wilson now that he's dating Ciara?
("Watch out for Future")

-- Favorite Leonardo DiCaprio movie of all time?
("'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' ... the one where he played like he's retarded")

-- Which celeb he thinks he looks like?
("Denzel or Will Smith")

There's more ... it's pretty great stuff -- and props to Michael for launching a foundation to fight childhood obesity.

New England Pats Player Jimmy Will Be Ready to Go ... 'But This Is Bulls**t'

The New England Patriots are confident in their backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo ... but they think Tom Brady's suspension is "absolute bulls**t" ... so says one respected Pats player.

The player -- who wished to remain anonymous so he could be "completely honest" -- tells us bluntly, "Ted Wells is full of sh*t. Brady wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize our franchise."

He continued, "I am upset. The whole team is upset. Brady has held himself together ... but we know he's upset. This is some bulls**t."

"Every time we win, we're accused of doing something wrong. It's like the NFL wants to discredit us for winning. If we lost, this wouldn't be a discussion. Goodell has again failed in his decision making."

As for Tom, the player says ... "I hope Brady wins this appeal. If he doesn't Jimmy will be ready to go ... but this is some absolute bulls**t."

Charles Barkley Sounds Off On Tom Brady 'Fantasy Value Takes a Hit'

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THEIR HANDS WERE TIED
TMZSports.com

Charles Barkley says Tom Brady's 4 game suspension will DEFINITELY lower his fantasy football value ... but he doesn't care because "only losers play fantasy sports" anyway.

Sir Chuck was "living the dream" in NYC Tuesday when he sounded off on the whole Deflategate scandal -- saying he still loves Tom ... and explains why he'll still be considered one of the greatest QBs ever.

So does the punishment fit the crime? Barkley says he's still trying figure that out ... and he's hoping to get some help from an NFL expert before he makes up his mind.