New England Patriots

Hold up wait a minute ... Lamar Jackson wants to be a New England Patriot?!?

According to Meek Mill, yes!!!

At least, that's what Robert Kraft is saying ... 'cause the New England Patriots owner said Monday the rapper texted him recently, telling him the Ravens QB now wants to be under center for Bill Belichick in 2023.

Kraft dropped the eyebrow-raising update while at the NFL's Annual League Meeting in Phoenix ... telling reporters in the desert he got the texts from his good buddy (they've worked constantly on social justice issues for the past several years now) three or four days ago.

But, Kraft said no move will be made unless Belichick gives the OK -- saying the Pats head coach will ultimately make the final decision.

The news came just a couple hours after Jackson -- a 2-time Pro Bowler -- revealed he requested a trade from the Ravens earlier this month ... claiming the team won't give him what he deserves, money-wise.

"You all are great but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I," the 26-year-old signal-caller said.

"No matter how far I go or where my career takes me, I’ll continue to be close to my fans of Baltimore Flock nation and the entire State of Maryland. You’ll See me again."

The Pats have a bit of a crowded QB room -- Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe both logged starts for the team last year -- but Lamar is a former MVP who could change the complexion of New England's offense.

Cops say Aaron Hernandez's brother, Dennis "D.J." Hernandez, experienced a bipolar episode less than three weeks before his ESPN arrest ... one that resulted in a wild police chase through Connecticut roadways.

It all allegedly went down on March 8 -- just 15 days before he was accused of hurling a brick at ESPN's headquarters in Bristol -- when cops say they attempted to stop D.J. in his silver Hyundai as he was driving through Cheshire.

According to the Cheshire Police Department, D.J. was driving erratically and at high rates of speed -- at one point traveling through grass fields in front of the Cheshire Correctional Institution.

But, police say when they attempted to pull him over ... D.J. blew through a red light and lost officers.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops made contact with D.J.'s mother -- Terri Hernandez -- a short time later ... and they say she told them the 36-year-old former UConn football player had "been acting very strange and she believed he needed to be mentally evaluated at a hospital."

Eventually, police documents show, the Bristol Police Dept. was able to take D.J. into custody "after a brief foot chase." Cops said in the docs D.J. was having a bipolar episode ... and told them he had been driving all over Connecticut trying to get arrested because "he no longer wanted to stay at his mom's house."

Cops say he was committed to the Bristol Hospital on a Police Emergency Examination Request.

D.J. -- who changed his name to Jonathan after Aaron's murder conviction -- was ultimately hit with five criminal charges over the incident, including reckless driving and engaging police in pursuit. He's due in court for a hearing on the matter in mid-April.

As we reported, on March 23, just over two weeks following the March 8 incident, D.J. was arrested again after he allegedly threw a white bag that contained a brick and a handwritten note at ESPN's campus.

Aaron Hernandez's older brother, Dennis "D.J." Hernandez, was arrested last week after he allegedly threw a brick at ESPN's headquarters with a note attached to it ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to police documents, the incident happened at around 3 PM on March 23 at the famed Bristol, Conn. campus -- just after cops were asked to perform a welfare check on D.J. after he had allegedly stated he wanted to smash out windows at the State Capital and at ESPN.

Police say ESPN security told them an Uber had arrived at one of their gates -- but when it was turned away, a passenger in the car got out of the ride, threw something onto the grounds, and then got back into the vehicle and left.

Cops in the documents say when they investigated the object, they discovered it was a white plastic bag with a large brick in it. They also say it had a handwritten note on it.

"To all media outlets," cops say the message read. "It's about time you all realeyes the affect media has on all family members. Since you're a world wide leader maybe you could lead how media and messages are delivered brick by brick. Clean it up!"

Police say the note was signed, "Yours truly, Dennis J. Hernandez."

Cops say when they spoke with a security guard who witnessed the incident at the booth -- the worker told them they were "90 percent positive" the man who threw the object was D.J., a former Division 1 football player and Aaron's older brother.

Cops say they ultimately made contact with D.J., and he admitted to being at ESPN, but "didn't wish to speak about the incident."

D.J. was arrested for misdemeanor breach of peace -- but was released on a promise to appear in court next month.

Cops say they also advised D.J. he was no longer allowed at ESPN's campus -- and could be arrested for trespassing if he returned. They say D.J. "stated he understood."

D.J. has not commented publicly on the incident.

The famed Tom Brady-autographed U.S. flag at the center of a lawsuit with the Patriots Hall of Fame last year can now be all yours -- if you've got some DEEP pockets.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the stars and stripes that Brady signed and then re-signed following a man's dispute with New England's HOF in 2021 is going up for sale on eBay later this month -- and its starting price tag is $299,999.

Unclear what it's ultimately expected to sell for ... but we're told the profits will go to a good cause nonetheless.

Dan Vitale -- the owner of the flag who feuded with Patriots officials after he alleged they ruined the item after putting it on display at the team's HOF -- is donating a portion of the proceeds to the Behavioral Health and Developmental Services of Strafford County, Inc. -- a non-profit whose goal is to help those with autism. Vitale says the rest of the funds will go into a trust for his daughter, who has autism.

When it eventually sells, the new owner of the flag will be getting a sweet piece of Brady memorabilia -- one that has quite the story attached to it too.

As we reported, it initially flew over Foxboro Stadium during a New England vs Miami game in '01 -- the same year Brady first took over as Patriots starter. Brady then signed it years later.

Vitale ultimately bought it and handed it off to the Pats Hall of Fame to display it -- but he claims officials there caused the signature to fade when they improperly took care of it. He sued in 2022, alleging their mistakes decreased the value of the piece by $1 million.

Brady, though, came to the rescue ... re-signing it in big, black ink following the Buccaneers vs. Seahawks game last year. Vitale said he was stoked with the new signature -- and believed it was worth over $1 mil again.

“While the flag holds a lot of value to me personally," Vitale said, "I could not be more thrilled to auction it on eBay so another collector can own this rare piece of sports history and in the process, support those with autism -- including my youngest daughter.”

Bidding on the item begins on March 23 ... and will end on April 1.

Good luck!!!

Willie McGinest is now facing serious time behind bars for his role in a December restaurant beatdown ... TMZ Sports has learned the ex-NFL star has just been charged with two felonies.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed the charges this week ... hitting the New England Patriots legend with one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury.

Each charge carries up to four years in prison.

McGinest's arraignment in the case has been set for April.

We broke the story, McGinest was initially arrested in the case back in late December ... after video showed him and several others beating the hell out of a man on Dec. 9 at Delilah in West Hollywood.

The footage appears to show McGinest socking the guy in the face ... before later picking up a bottle and smashing it into the man's head.

McGinest eventually apologized for his role in the brawl -- calling everything a "lapse in judgment and behavior."

"To my family, community, friends and youth I mentor," the 51-year-old said, "please know I feel horrible for my actions and take full responsibility."

Former New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley -- who helped Tom Brady win a Super Bowl in the 2014 season -- was arrested in Mississippi over the weekend, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The running back was booked late Saturday night/early Sunday morning on two charges in Natchez, according to a Natchez Police official.

It's not yet clear what the allegations are against Ridley -- but records show he was released from custody on Sunday.

Ridley, who was born in Natchez, was a Patriots third-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played for New England for four seasons -- recording his biggest year in 2012, when he rushed for 1,263 yards and 12 TDs.

He went on to play for the Jets, Falcons and Steelers.

Tom Brady is letting everyone know he's dead serious about retiring this time around ... officially submitting his retirement paperwork, seemingly closing the door on a comeback.

Brady doubled down on his February 1 retirement announcement Friday ... by sending an official retirement letter to the NFL and NFLPA, according to Adam Schefter.

Brady's formal letter to the league and the union should answer any questions surrounding the 45-year-old quarterback's future.

With TB12 officially gone from the NFL ... the 7x Super Bowl-winning quarterback is a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame once he's eligible in 2028.

Of course, Brady said he was "retiring for good" a couple weeks after the Cowboys defeated the Buccanneers, 31-14, at home in the wild card round of the playoffs.

"I know the process was a pretty big deal last time," Brady said during the big announcement ... "so when I woke up this morning I figured I'd just press record and let you guys know first."

If an artist begins carving a new sports Mt. Rushmore into the side of a mountain in South Dakota in the upcoming weeks ... Deion Branch tells TMZ Sports Tom Brady is a for-sure lock to have a place in it.

The ex-NFL star insisted Wednesday just hours after Brady called it a career -- for real this time (we think) -- the former Buccaneers and Patriots quarterback has done enough to be considered one of the unanimous four best athletes ever.

Branch didn't want to say where he'd rank TB12 amongst the quartet -- but he said the ex-signal caller definitely belongs in the same conversations as the Michael Jordans, Wayne Gretzkys and Derek Jeters of the sports world.

"We do know that Tom is the greatest to ever put on a football jersey," Branch said ... before adding, "Tom will go down as the greatest football player to ever play the game."

Of course, Branch is a bit biased -- he played seven seasons with Brady in New England, winning two Super Bowls and an SB MVP with the QB -- but there won't be too many people arguing against his opinion.

Brady played 23 seasons in the league, winning seven Super Bowls and three MVP awards. He also made 15 Pro Bowl teams, 3 All-Pro teams, and retired as the NFL's leader in passing yards (89,214) and passing touchdowns (649).

Branch tells us the QB should have absolutely no regrets about not hanging things up sooner ... and, in fact, he said he's happy for the 45-year-old over the way he got to do it all.

Tom Brady won't be jumping headfirst into his broadcasting gig with FOX Sports -- the newly retired NFL legend is not part of the network's plans for Super Bowl coverage next weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 7-time champion shocked the sports world when he shared his retirement plans on Wednesday ... saying he's leaving the game "for good" in an emotional social media post.

Our Brady sources tell us the announcement was equally surprising to FOX Sports ... who had no idea Brady was going to call it a career this morning.

As we previously reported, Brady inked a massive 10-year, $375 million deal to join FOX as an analyst upon his retirement ... whenever that day came.

Now that Brady's post-football career seems to be here, he will eventually throw on the headset for the network in some capacity ... just not in time for the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles game in Arizona on Feb. 12 on FOX.

New England Patriots star, Trent Brown is going from protecting Mac Jones on the field, to doing the same off of it -- telling TMZ Sports the quarterback's haters need to go kick rocks.

The Pats' left tackle didn't mince words while out at LAX on Monday -- saying he's a HUGE fan of Mac ... and doesn't get the criticism that surrounded the QB for most of this year.

Brown said he straight up "loves" the guy -- and anything Mac's critics say goes in one ear and out the other for him.

"They don't really matter," Brown said of the Jones haters. "Really, nobody outside of that building matters."

"It's all about who's in that locker room and who comes to work for us every day. That's it."

Jones faced a ton of heat this year -- he threw 11 interceptions in 14 games and had just 14 passing TDs -- leading many to call for backup Bailey Zappe to start over him.

Clearly, though, Brown's got Mac's back ... and loves him at QB1.

As for how things will go next year and the following years after this season's 8-9 disappointment ... Brown promised things would turn around soon.

"I don't believe we'll be down too long," he said.

Former NFL wide receiver Charles Johnson -- who won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the 2001 season -- died by suicide in July ... a report released Monday by the North Carolina state medical examiner's office revealed.

In the ME documents, obtained by USA Today, officials said Johnson passed away after appearing to overdose on drugs. He was just 50 years old.

Johnson was initially found dead on July 17 inside a hotel room in Raleigh ... one day after his wife had reported him missing. A cause of death had remained a mystery -- until the ME's report was released this week.

Officials said in the docs, according to USA Today, that Johnson had oxycodone, hydrocodone and mirtazapine in his system at the time of his death ... despite having no active prescriptions.

The outlet had previously reported the former NFL wideout had claimed to have suffered disabilities from his time in the league.

Johnson played for the Steelers, Eagles, Patriots and Bills in his nine years in the NFL ... after being picked in the first round of the 1994 draft.

Following his death, the North Carolina high school he had been working at said in a statement he would "be missed by so many, especially your Husky Family."

The Cincinnati Bengals learned a lesson about flying on XMAS eve ... it's all about the landing.

After beating the New England Patriots Saturday, the players jumped on the team plane in Rhode Island for a flight back home. At some point during the flight, an engine on the Delta jet conked out and 71 minutes after taking off ... the plane made an emergency landing at JFK in NYC.

One of the players called the incident "a little rough" ... given the weather on the east coast and the emergency, it had to be super scary,

The plane landed safely, the players switched planes and they returned to Cincinnati around midnight.

ICYMI ... the Bengals are on a roll, winning their 7th straight game by a score of 22-18.

It clearly pays to be a good person ... 'cause the New England Patriots fan who kept his cool as a Las Vegas Raiders supporter tormented him during Sunday's game is getting the hookup -- with free tickets from Robert Kraft!!

Video of the incident went viral this week ... showing a woman in a Derek Carr jersey berating a man in Tom Brady threads in the Allegiant Stadium stands right after the Pats lost in heartbreaking fashion.

The guy -- Jerry Edmond -- was praised on social media for not stooping to the woman's level ... and Kraft was so moved by his handling of the situation, he decided to give the fan a VIP experience at this weekend's game against the Bengals.

As it turns out, the Pats vs. Raiders contest was Edmond's first NFL experience ... and he said he didn't want to ruin his experience by retaliating toward the heckler.

Not only is Edmond getting free tix to the game, the team says he's going to get a customized jersey and pregame field passes to watch the players warm up.

NFL Sunday Ticket has a new home -- the league's game broadcast package is moving to YouTube TV starting next season ... and the deal is reportedly worth a whopping $2.5 BILLION a year.

There was an intense bidding war to secure the rights to the popular subscription-based product ... with ESPN, Apple and Amazon pursuing an agreement.

The NFL made the move official on Thursday ... with commissioner Roger Goodell releasing a statement on the decision to go with Google, which owns YouTube TV.

"We're excited to bring NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels and usher in a new era of how fans across the United States watch and follow the NFL," the commish said.

"For a number of years we have been focused on increased digital distribution of our games and this partnership is yet another example of us looking towards the future and building the next generation of NFL fans."

Sunday Ticket will now be available as an add-on package with YouTube TV ... as well as standalone à la carte on the streaming platform's Primetime channels.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft -- the chairman of the league's media committee -- also spoke about the deal ... saying, "As the ways fans enjoy NFL football evolve in a changing media landscape, partnerships with innovators like YouTube will ensure that more games are available to more fan."

Willie McGinest beat the hell out of a man at an L.A. hotspot -- an attack that got him arrested Monday -- and shocking video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows him punching the guy in the face and later bashing him in the head with a bottle.

The wild altercation went down on Dec. 9 at Delilah in West Hollywood ... when the ex-NFL star and several of his apparent acquaintances could be seen in the footage unloading on a man who was sitting at a table at the popular lounge.

In the clip, you can see McGinest walking up to the guy and appearing to exchange words with him -- before landing a left hook straight to his face.

At least three other men could be seen in the video immediately jumping into the action -- landing a flurry of strikes on the man over and over again.

The punches rarely stopped for around 30 seconds -- despite bystanders' attempts to try to separate the men from each other.

At one point during the melee, McGinest appeared to pick up a bottle ... and then slam it into the man's head repeatedly. The 51-year-old former linebacker can be seen in the footage tossing it onto a nearby sofa, before finally walking away from the scene.

The man looked to be bloodied and bruised once the brawl stopped. He has yet to be publicly ID'd.

McGinest was arrested on Monday morning over the incident -- authorities said he was booked at 7:30 a.m. on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. Jail records show the New England Patriots legend's bail was set at $30,000.

According to police, McGinest posted bond and was released from custody at 9:46 AM.

McGinest is considered one of the greatest players in Patriots franchise history ... he played for the org. from 1994 to 2005 -- winning three Super Bowls. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2015.

McGinest has been working as a football analyst for the NFL Network in retirement. A spokesperson for the TV org. announced Monday that they're investigating the incident.

Bettor Marco Piemonte correctly picked the first 4 games in a 5 pick parlay -- with only a Raiders win standing between him and $2.88 MILLION

The game was surely going to overtime ... that's until Chandler Jones cashed that huge ticket with one of the greatest game-ending plays in NFL history!

Piemonte laid down $31K Saturday afternoon ... picking 5 games. Some outright winners, some with the spread. His picks went like this. Browns to win (beat Ravens). Dolphins +7 (lost by 3 to Bills). Jaguars +4 (beat Cowboys). Viking to win (beat Colts in greatest comeback ever). And, lastly ... the Las Vegas Raiders to win.

So, Piemonte -- known as "Million Dollar Marco" for 7-figure bets he's won in the past -- was a Raiders win from winning $2,880,263.52.

Of course, the game was tied at 24 all with 3 seconds remaining ... the Pats ran a draw, handing the ball to Rhamondre Stevenson, clearly content to take things to OT.

But, Stevenson, with no time left, pitched the ball to Jakobi Meyers, who inexplicably threw the ball across the field, where it was intercepted by Chandler Jones ... who ran over Mac Jones and scored the game-winning touchdown.

The only person happier than the Raiders players and coaches ... Marco Piemonte.