New England Patriots

Prosecutors ain't going down in their case against Robert Kraft without a fight ... they just filed docs saying a judge was wrong to bar them from using the graphic sex spa video in court.

78-year-old Kraft scored a huge victory in the case last May, when a judge ruled police surveillance video of him allegedly receiving sex acts inside the Orchids of Asia spa in Florida could NOT be used in the case.

The judge claimed when cops executed their search warrant and planted cameras inside the spa ... they didn't do enough to protect people who were inside the spa getting perfectly legal massages.

In court docs filed this week ... prosecutors are firing back at that ruling, saying the judge was DEAD WRONG -- and want the video to be allowed in the case against Kraft.

In the docs, they argue cops handled everything the right way in the investigation ... saying if police had taken bigger steps to protect potentially innocent people, it would have "frustrated the objectives of the search."

They claim that of the 39 massage recordings ... only 4 didn't capture illegal activity.

Prosecutors are asking the court reverse the suppression order ... and if it's granted -- it would mean the Kraft video has a chance to go public once again.

It's unclear when the Courts of Appeal is expected to make a ruling ... but it could be soon.

Sorry, Khalil Mack ... the Chicago Bears do NOT have the best defense in the NFL -- so says Patriots DB JC Jackson, who tells TMZ Sports that honor belongs to New England!

"I feel like we've got the best defense so far," Jackson says ... "I feel like we've got the best defense in the league."

The Pats have steamrolled to a 4-0 start ... and a big reason for that is the 11 dudes NOT on Tom Brady's side of the ball.

Through the first quarter of the season, the Pats are allowing a league-best 243 yards per game ... and have TEN interceptions -- at least 5 more than every other squad in the NFL.

For those reasons, JC -- who had two picks against the Bills on Sunday -- says the Pats deserve the NFL's top D title ... telling us, "Right now, we the best defense in the league."

Dwayne Haskins needs to go back to the bench now ... 'cause Redskins legend Joe Theismann says the rookie QB ain't ready to face Bill Belichick and the Patriots.

The 22-year-old rookie out of Ohio State -- the 15th pick in this year's draft -- was thrown into the Skins-Giants game in the 2nd quarter ... and things didn't exactly go smoothly.

Haskins was 9 of 17 for 107 yards ... and he threw 3 interceptions. The Redskins lost 24-3.

That was against the mediocre New York Giants ... with the undefeated New England Patriots -- and their hellacious defense -- coming into town this week, Theismann says DH can't start at QB.

"You cannot start him against the New England Patriots. You can't start Dwayne Haskins against the New England Patriots. I mean, it can't happen. It wouldn't be good for him, it wouldn't be good for the franchise, it wouldn't be good for football for crying out loud."

Joe says he's seen all-time greats play bad in the beginning ... so just 'cause Haskins struggled, doesn't mean he won't be a star in the future.

"I go all the way back to Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning's rookie season, he threw 29 interceptions. And, you just have to be committed to somebody and realize that it takes time to be able to play this position."

Joe also says the Redskins problems go a lot deeper than QB.

"What bothers me more than anything was the undisciplined nature," Theismann says.

"The penalties that we got. The offsides. The continuing holding by the offensive line. Those are my concerns, besides Dwayne."

"So, if you're a Redskins fan, it isn't just the quarterback position, case missing people open, Dwayne having to go in and play and not really looking like he'd be able to handle it at this moment. But, it's those other things that really have got me concerned."

Antonio Brown DEFINITELY ain't retiring from the NFL ... the troubled wide receiver says he still wants in the league, saying Thursday, "I'm still the best why stop now."

The wide receiver's future has been in doubt for the past week ... 'cause after the Patriots cut him Friday -- he tweeted, "Will not be playing in the @NFL anymore."

But, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said Wednesday AB still wants to play ... and on Thursday, Brown echoed those comments.

"The game need me I'm like test answers," Brown said.

Of course, now the question is, does anyone in the NFL want HIM?

Think Bills fans will continue their tradition of throwing sex toys at Tom Brady and the Patriots??

New betting odds will reward you if you're right ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned you can actually make money off this ridiculous thing!!!

A rep for BetOnline.ag says Bills fans are actually favored to NOT throw a fake phallus this weekend when the Pats come to New Era Field ... putting the odds at -130.

If you want to throw down cash saying a rubber dong will come flying in when the Bills take on New England on Sunday ... the odds are -110.

Of course, Buffalo fans have been inexplicably throwing sex toys onto the field every time the Pats have come to town since 2016 ... but the act hasn't come without a cost.

Bills officials have imposed LIFETIME BANS for people who are caught throwing the sex toys ... which is why this bet is so damn intriguing.

Kickoff between the two teams is set for 10 AM PT ... keep your slips handy!!!

Another allegation of sexual misconduct has come up against Antonio Brown ... this time, the artist who was hired to paint a mural in his home says AB had sex with another woman in front of her while she worked.

The artist, who has not gone public with her identity, was previously featured in a Sports Illustrated article about Brown, in which she claimed the WR got naked and hit on her while she was working at his home in 2017.

In the article, the woman says she declined his advances and felt he was being completely inappropriate ... but never went to cops or took any legal action against him.

After she went public, Brown allegedly sent her a series of menacing text messages as part of a group chat ... instructing associates to look into her personal life. AB included a photo of the artist's children, which she took as a clear threat.

In fact, the artist's attorney, Lisa J. Banks, sent a letter to the NFL saying her client is "understandably frightened by these text messages, which are clearly intended to threaten and intimidate her."

In the letter, Banks rehashes the initial sexual misconduct allegation featured in the SI article ... but then drops this additional allegation.

"What is not detailed in the story is that Mr. Brown engaged in other forms of sexual misconduct during the two days that she worked in his home, which included Mr. Brown having sex with another woman while the artist was working in the same room."

The NFL immediately launched an investigation into Brown -- who was cut the by the New England Patriots a short time later.

Here's Tom Brady doing his best DB impression ... the G.O.A.T. is backpedaling on his public support for Antonio Brown after the WR went after Patriots owner Robert Kraft over the weekend.

Tom -- who's fully backed AB on social media even after rape allegations -- went on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Monday morning and declined to throw his weight behind AB again.

"I do have a lot of personal feelings, none of which I really care to share," the QB said. "That is about it. It’s a difficult situation. That’s kind of how I feel."

Of course, Tom was singing a very different tune earlier this month ... he was reportedly "one million percent" in on the Pats signing Brown -- and even reportedly offered the guy a room in the Boston-area mansion he shares with Gisele.

Tom also let AB into his personal gym ... and after Brown was cut from the Pats on Friday -- he left heart emojis on AB's Instagram post.

So, what happened to 'cause Brady to change his public gears? Unclear exactly ... but it seems like a safe bet to assume it had something to do with Brown's weekend attack on Kraft.

In a Twitter rant Sunday morning, Brown brought up Kraft's famous solicitation case, writing, "Kraft got caught in the parlor AB speculations fired different strokes different folks clearly."

The New England owner obviously didn't love the move ... because ESPN's Adam Schefter reported there's no way AB is getting his guaranteed money from the Pats now.

As for Brown, he continued to attack a lot of people on social media ... going after his ex-teammate, Ben Roethlisberger, and TV personality Shannon Sharpe.

Just when you thought Bill Belichick couldn't be a bigger jerk to the media, here's the New England Patriots coach giving a death stare to a reporter who dared to ask about Antonio Brown.

The reporter ain't some scrub ... she's respected journalist Dana Jacobson -- whose resume includes everything from CBS News to CBS Sports to ESPN. She's a pro.

On Sunday, her assignment was to get a quick interview with Belichick before the Pats took on the NY Jets ... and she asked an obvious and appropriate question about Antonio Brown, who just got cut days before the game.

"I think I'd be remiss if I didn't ask what was the final straw with Antonio Brown?"

Belichick responded with a classic deflection, "Yeah, we're focused on the Jets today."

Dana thanks Bill for the interview, but he doesn't thank her back -- instead staring through her with a furious, silent anger you can feel through the screen.

Dennis Rodman says Antonio Brown is a case study on self-sabotage ... telling TMZ Sports the guy basically ran a clinic, "The school of how to ruin your career 101."

Rodman was leaving the Javits Center in L.A. on Sunday with his good friend, Dr. Drew -- when the topic turned to AB's social meltdown over the weekend.

As we previously reported, the troubled WR let his Twitter fingers loose ... saying he's done playing in the NFL while taking shots at his former boss, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Even Rodman was shocked by AB's antics ... and that's saying A LOT. He tried to break it down to us.

"Antonio Brown ... he wasn't focusing enough on his career."

Rodman says Brown tried to be clever but "outsmarted himself" and now HAS to quit the NFL because he basically "has no choice right now."

That said, you can tell Rodman and Dr. Drew hope Brown can get his life back on track -- with Rodman noting, "We all make mistakes."

Antonio Brown says he's quitting the NFL because the league is corrupt and has screwed him out of millions of dollars.

Brown just tweeted up a storm, saying, among other things, "Will not be playing in the @NFL anymore these owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime we will see if the @NFLPA hold them accountable sad they can just void guarantees anytime going on 40m 2 months will see if they pay up!"

What he's saying ... the Patriots signed him to a $15 mil deal with a $9 mil guaranteed signing bonus. But, here's the catch. The $9 mil was reportedly spread out over the season, and he was cut after just one week, and he's not gonna see most of that cash.

But, Brown went further and took aim at the Patriots' owner, Robert Kraft, firing this shot ... "Kraft got caught in the parlor AB speculations fired different strokes folks clearly." In other words, he's saying there's a double standard for him and the NFL bigwigs. Brown saying Kraft was charged with a crime and he was not, and the NFL hasn't punished Kraft.

He's also pissed because the NFL is investigating, and while that probe continues, he's poison to every team in the league.

Ex-Patriots receiver Malcolm Mitchell says he's turning to poetry to help his mental health after retiring from football ... saying the art form is "soothing."

Mitchell signed a 4-year deal in New England back in 2016 and helped the team win a Super Bowl that season. But, the 27-year-old battled injuries every year after that, and eventually retired last March.

Now, he's telling TMZ Sports he's become a writer ... and poetry has helped him transition from being a violent football player to an artist.

"It's soothing," Mitchell says. "I was talking to a reporter the other day about the mental health aspect of retiring from something you've been doing your whole life."

"Like, imagine if you couldn't do this anymore? You'd be stuck, right?"

Mitchell is currently finding HUGE success in the writing world ... he helped author the popular children's book "The Magician's Hat" -- and he's got a picture book on the way too.

But, he says poetry has become a real passion for him ... telling us, "Introducing that in a creative way is something that entices me."

Antonio Brown is back home after a turbulent past few weeks and an effective firing from the New England Patriots -- and he doesn't look too happy about it

The embattled wide receiver was seen exiting his private jet Saturday as he touched down in Miami -- where he owns a home. As he walked the runway, AB had an incredibly pained look on his face ... which is understandable after everything that's happened.

BTW, he was wearing Supreme gear here up top -- not Nike, which just dropped him this past week amid the mounting allegations. He also carried a Louis Vuitton briefcase.

While he looked pretty down in the dumps when he got back to Miami, AB was trying to put on a brave paid face before leaving the airport in New England ... posting a photo of himself sitting on top of a Rolls-Royce with the caption, "The Journey #Iknowimspecial #Whytheyplaying." Looks like he snuck in some Nike after all in his footwear.

As we reported ... Antonio was released by the Patriots Friday after a whirlwind of bad news for him, including a lawsuit alleging rape and sexual assault ... a Sports Illustrated story detailing more alleged sexual and behavioral misconduct ... as well as a reported attempt to contact one of his accusers with menacing texts.

Despite one good outing, it looks like the Pats had seen enough ... cutting him loose before Sunday's game against the Jets. AB's an unrestricted free agent now, and the NFL is still investigating the claims against him, not having come to a conclusion yet.

The New England Patriots have just parted ways with Antonio Brown after a new NFL investigation into concerning text messages.

"Thank you for the opportunity @Patriots #GoWinIt," Brown posted on Twitter ... adding, "The marathon continues."

He also posted a photo with Tom Brady on Instagram, "Love ya champ. That was fun!"

Brown was only an official member of the Pats for 11 days.

The Patriots issued a statement saying, "The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown. We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time."

The writing was certainly on the wall ... Patriots head coach Bill Belichick shut down a press conference Friday morning because he was sick of answering questions about the WR.

As we previously reported, the Patriots signed Brown on Sept. 7 -- hours after he was cut by the Oakland Raiders following multiple issues with Raiders executives.

Brown didn't sign his contract with the Pats until Sept. 9. His deal was a 1-year contract worth up to $15 mil with a $9 million signing bonus.

Days after Brown signed his deal with the Pats, a woman named Britney Taylor filed a lawsuit against AB accusing him of forcible rape in 2018, along with 2 allegations of sexual assault in 2017.

Brown has denied all wrongdoing and vowed to explore his own legal options. Brown was not arrested or charged with a crime in that case. Taylor never went to police.

Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated published a report containing allegations from a 2nd woman who accused Brown of sexual misconduct.

Brown later sent that woman menacing text messages in which Brown directs associates to look into the accuser's family. He also sent a pic of the accuser's children.

The NFL was contacted by the woman's attorney and immediately launched an investigation.

Despite the investigation, Belichick suggested the team was planning on using Brown on Sunday when they take on the NY Jets.

Brown played 24 snaps for the Patriots in his debut with the team against the Dolphins last weekend. He saw 8 passes from Tom Brady, catching four of them for 56 yards and a TD. He also had one rushing attempt for 5 yards.

AB has been a superstar in his career on the field, he's logged at least 100 catches and 1,200 receiving yards in each of the last six seasons.

In his 10-year career, Brown's scored 75 receiving touchdowns ... putting him in a tie for 34th all-time in NFL history.

As for the Raiders, Oakland cut bait with Brown after a string of bizarre behavior including a weird injury in a cryotherapy chamber and issues with his helmet.

Brown also secretly recorded Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and posted the audio online.

The last straw seemed to be when Brown publicly called out Raiders general manager Mike Mayock after the team fined him for missing multiple team activities.

The question now ... will another team take a chance on Antonio Brown -- or is his NFL career finished?

Story developing ...

The NFL is now investigating new troubling text messages Antonio Brown allegedly sent to a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct ... and the texts are damning.

The woman at the center of the investigation is the unnamed artist featured in a Sports Illustrated article published this week who said a naked AB inappropriately hit on her while she was painting a mural at his home in 2017.

The woman never went to authorities with her story ... but the description she gave to SI is a terrible look for the NFL star in the wake of a lawsuit filed another woman accusing him of rape.

The artist claims on Wednesday, Brown initiated a group text -- including her and some of his own associates -- trashing her for talking to SI and calling for his crew to begin digging into her background.

The most troubling text allegedly sent by Brown is this directive to his crew -- which was accompanied by a photo of her children.

"Those her kids and ig Eric she's awfully broke clearly."

Two other people included on the text chain respond, saying they will obey orders to gather info on the woman.

Clearly, the woman felt the texts were sent with the intention of scaring her -- so she went to the NFL to report the incident.

The NFL reportedly reached out to the woman on Thursday less than an hour after they were contacted. League investigators are reportedly scheduling a follow-up interview with the woman.

As for his NFL career, Brown is still active and expected to play for the New England Patriots on Sunday when they take on the NY Jets.

Antonio Brown wouldn't answer when asked about an NFL probe into allegations he raped a woman ... telling Patriots media, "I appreciate that question. I'm just here to focus on ball."

The new New England superstar finally met with reporters for the first time since signing with the team earlier this month ... and took a whopping 4 questions from the media.

Altogether, the locker-room presser lasted about a minute ... and Brown sounded more like Bill Belichick when it came to the hard-hitting Qs.

"I'm super grateful to be here, to play for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady," Brown said to the first question about the looming NFL investigation.

"I've got a lot of the offense to learn and catch up. But, I'm excited and grateful to be here and be a part of these guys."

The league is currently trying to figure out what to do with Brown after Britney Taylor alleged he raped her in the Miami area back in 2018.

In her civil lawsuit against the receiver, Taylor also alleges he sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions in the Pittsburgh area in 2017.

BT reportedly met with NFL investigators for 10 HOURS earlier this week ... but so far, no word on what the league is planning to do with Brown after that meeting.

Prosecutors and police in Pennsylvania have contacted the woman accusing Antonio Brown of rape -- but officials suggest it's unlikely they will move forward with criminal charges against the NFL star.

But, Brown might not be off the hook in Florida, where the accuser claims Brown forcibly raped her in 2018.

Remember, Britney Taylor alleges in a federal lawsuit filed earlier this month that, on TWO separate occasions in the Pittsburgh area in 2017, Brown sexually assaulted her.

Taylor claims AB exposed his penis to her and kissed her without her consent. She also alleges later that month he pleasured himself on her back without her consent.

Now, a spokesperson for the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office says both prosecutors AND the Allegheny County Police Dept. reached out to Taylor's attorneys to investigate the claims.

The issue, according to the D.A. ... "It appears there is a statute of limitations issue in moving forward with any inquiry involving the Allegheny County allegation mentioned in the lawsuit."

In other words, if Taylor wanted Brown prosecuted in Pennsylvania, she may have waited too long to make it happen.

We should note the way the D.A. phrased its statement seems to leave the door open for possible prosecution if they learn anything new.

But, the bigger issue is Florida ... where Taylor alleged the most serious crime was committed.

Sources tell us ... Miami-area prosecutors have NOT reached out to the accuser or her attorneys at this point and the statute of limitations in Florida has definitely NOT run out for a rape prosecution for an incident in May 2018.

As for whether Taylor would cooperate with an investigation in Florida, her attorneys have previously issued a statement saying they would work "with the NFL and any other agencies."

For his part, Brown has adamantly denied wrongdoing and his attorney has said they will consider their own legal options, including a countersuit.

As for the NFL, Taylor reportedly met with league investigators for 10 HOURS this week to tell her side of the story.

So far, no punishment has been handed down to Brown ... and he's expected to play again this weekend when the Patriots take on the Jets.