New Orleans Saints

Officials believe they have a smoking gun in the Darren Sharper rape investigatin ... a shot glass that tested positive for a drug used to knock people out ... this according to court documents.

The L.A. County D.A. filed documents in which the former New Orleans Saints star is accused of drugging 11 people in multiple states (CA, LA, AZ, NV) and raping 7 WOMEN.

But the hardest proof may come from AZ -- where Sharper is accused of going home with 3 women he met in a Scottsdale nightclub on Nov. 20.

According to the docs, Sharper went to their place and poured 2 of them shots. Sharper allegedly raped both of the women.

But ... the next day, the women went to the cops -- and one of the shot glasses Sharper allegedly used to drug his victims was collected from the apartment.

The glass was tested ... and cops say the results show it tested positive for Ambien -- the drug Sharper allegedly used to drug all of his victims.

Darren Sharper has been REMOVED from an upcoming celebrity cruise to Mexico in the wake of horrific rape allegations ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We know ... the former New Orleans Saints superstar had been booked to appear on the 1st Annual "Saints Ahoy Charity Celebrity Fan Cruise" to Cozumel, Mexico on March 13th.

Sharper was supposed to join fellow Saints studs Lance Moore, Roman Harper and Kenny Stills.

But after Sharper was arrested in L.A. last month for allegedly raping multiple women -- the cruise decided to cut Sharper from the event immediately.

A rep for the cruise tells us, "The minute the allegation became public, Darren was removed from the cruise."

"The people in charge of the charities didn't want it to hurt the sales. It was the best thing for the cruise."

Darren Sharper has just been charged with 2 counts of rape in L.A. ... after the former New Orleans Saints superstar allegedly drugged multiple women and raped them in his hotel room ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Among the charges ... two counts of rape by use of drugs, four counts of furnishing a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance, all felonies.

Sharper -- who had a Hall of Fame-caliber NFL career as a safety -- is accused of drugging the women with zolpidem (Ambien).

Officials say Sharper met the two women in a West Hollywood nightclub on October 30th and invited them to another party.

On the way, officials say they stopped at Darren's hotel room and he gave them each a shot.

The women then passed out and hours later one of the women claims she woke up with Sharper sexually assaulting her. The second woman says she woke up and "interrupted his actions."

Officials say Sharper STRUCK AGAIN on January 14th ... when he returned to the same West Hollywood nightclub and found two more women.

Sharper allegedly pulled the same scheme -- inviting them back to hs room, gave them a shot, they passed out, he raped them.

Officials say both women left his hotel and sought medical treatment.

Sharper was arrested on January 17th. He was released on $200k bail. In addition to the rape, officials also say he was illegally in possession of morphine.

If convicted, Sharper faces more than 30 YEARS in prison. Officials are recommending the judge set his bail at $100 MILLION.

(Update: We're told the $100 million bail was a typo ... officials meant to request a $10 MILLION bail).

Officials say Sharper is also accused of raping women in 3 other states -- including Arizona, Nevada and Louisiana.

Drew Brees returned to the city that kicked him to the curb this week ... San Diego ... but not without reminding the locals which team he plays for now.

The NFL superstar hit up a local park with 2 of his sons for a little baseball workout ... they ran the bases, played catch ... it was adorable.

But the funny thing ... Brees -- who played for the Chargers before they stupidly let him go in 2006 -- had one of his kids dressed up in a New Orleans Saints jersey (#43 Darren Sproles).

Drew Brees tells TMZ Sports ... he's COMMITTED to the famous birthmark on his face and has no plans to remove it ... EVER ... unless doctors tell him it poses a threat to his health.

This video is AWESOME ... Brees was at a NYC event for the Super Service Challenge -- an organization that encourages people to do positive things in their communities -- when he opened up about all sorts of stuff.

Besides the mole talk, Brees (who's from Texas) set the record straight about which movie more accurately portrayed his high school football experience in the Lone Star State -- "Varsity Blues" or "Friday Night Lights."

His explanation actually makes a lot of sense.

As for the Super Service Challenge -- Drew also tells us why he believes the organization is so important to him and his organization, The Brees Dream Foundation.

There's a little Aaron Rodgers syndrome going around in the NFL ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the mayors of S.F. and N.O. have still not paid off their bets after their teams LOST to the Seahawks in the playoffs.

Here's the deal ... the mayor of Seattle made "fun bets" with the guys in charge of San Francisco and New Orleans when the Seahawks faced the 49ers and the Saints in the playoffs, respectively.

Mitch Landrieu -- the Mayor of N.O. -- agreed to fork over a King Cake from Sucre (a famous bakery) and said he would tap celeb chef Greg Reggio to host a crawfish boil.

Edwin M. Lee -- the Mayor of S.F. -- agreed to send local ice cream and dessert treats that represent the city if the 9ers lost. He also agreed to help fundraise $10k for a Seattle food bank.

Of course, the Seahawks WON both games ... but our political sources tell us the Mayor of Seattle has not seen the spoils of the victory from either city.

One source tells us, "Admittedly, raising $10k could take some time ... but baking a King Cake doesn't take 3 weeks."

Unless you're NFL legend Ronnie Lott ... you can't feel Rashad Johnson's pain -- but you can see it ... 'cause now there's a photo of the incredibly gruesome finger injury the NFL safety suffered Sunday.

If you haven't heard ... the Arizona Cardinals player crushed his left middle finger during the game against the New Orleans Saints -- but didn't realize he'd actually lost the tip until he took off his glove ... and partial digit was left behind.

Late Monday ... Johnson tweeted a pic of the photo, saying ... "Blessed to be able to still go out and do what I love this season. #thankful #trulyblessed"

Long-term brain damage remains a serious issue among NFL players ... and the league still has LOTS of work to do in order to fix it ... so says New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees.

Brees said, "I think it's a major issue. It's something that we need to continue to put research [into] and treatment protocols at the forefront to try to find ways to treat guys that have those long-term head and neck injuries when they leave this game."

He added, "It is definitely a serious problem."

You'll recall, pro football has recently come under intense scrutiny for its long-term health risks -- following the high-profile suicides of several NFL stars like Junior Seau. The deaths have been attributed to a brain disease stemming from injuries the players sustained during their careers.

Last week, Adrian Peterson -- one of the greatest running backs of all time -- said he would never let his son play the game.

Even President Obama has said he would have to think twice about whether he would let a son of his play football due to the health risks.

The New Orleans Saints got a rude and messy welcome to Atlanta last night ... as airport workers hurled eggs at a charter bus carrying the team!

The smelly assault went down moments after the Saints got off the plane in Atlanta and boarded a bus. Officials at Atlanta's airport confirm that eggs were thrown at the bus as it drove off the tarmac.

Several Saints players, including star tight end Jimmy Graham, blamed airport workers for the incident.

Graham tweeted ...

Airport officials say they are scrambling to find out who's unleashed the eggy hell.

The Saints flew in for tonight's game against the Atlanta Falcons -- and we're guessing the egg culprits are big fans of the dirty birds.

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees just signed a deal worth roughly $100 million ... and he still REFUSES to let anyone else pump his gas. #fullserviceisforsnobs.

Brees was rollin' through New Orleans yesterday when he decided to fill up his SUV ... and whipped out his cell phone at the same time ... a cardinal sin at most gas stations because some people believe the static electricity from the phone can ignite gas vapors and cause an explosion!!

But before you freak out about Brees ... don't ... because according to the FCC, the cell phone thing is completely unsubstantiated.

The FCC website states, "Scientific testing has not established a dangerous link between wireless phones and fuel vapors."

"The wireless industry has done studies on the potential for wireless phones to create sparks that could possibly ignite flammable materials. The studies generally conclude that while it may be theoretically possible for a spark from a cell phone battery to ignite gas vapor under very precise conditions, there is no documented incident where the use of a wireless phone was found to cause a fire or explosion at a gas station."

He's suspended from the NFL ... his marriage is crumbling ... but former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is bumpin' and grindin' away his pain in the Bahamas with a hot blonde -- and TMZ has the footage.

The disgraced Super Bowl champ was hanging out at the nightclub at the Atlantis Resort last Friday ... hittin' the dance floor HARD.

After spending some time gettin' funky with himself, Payton posted up behind a hot blonde lady ... before the two disappeared into the crowd.

Payton recently filed for divorce from his wife of 20 years, citing "discord or conflict of personalities."

New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey was rushed to a local hospital earlier today after an incident at the team's practice facility, TMZ has confirmed.

According to local reports, Shockey was suffering from "seizure-like symptoms" while inside the team weight room.

A league source told WGNO that Shockey was able to walk to the waiting ambulance without assistance.

Shockey was hospitalized right around this time last year after he was found unconscious at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. A rep said at the time Shockey was "dehydrated."

UPDATE: The Saints coach has announced that Shockey will stay at the hospital overnight.

It all went down during a charity event in Louisiana called the "NFL vs. SWAT Softball Showdown" -- which Brees and his fellow Saints barely lost by a score of 18-17 ... despite the Super Bowl MVP smashing 3 homers during the game.

Brees dominated the home run derby though -- hitting 'em as a righty and a lefty ... and busting out an awesome moonwalk during his homer trot.

As Brees arrived in New York yesterday, the Super Bowl hero told us that getting another NFL championship is "always the plan." But his plan seems unrealistic now -- because later today, Drew will be announced as the Madden 11 cover boy.

If you're unfamiliar with the Madden legend ... horrible things always happen to the players who make the cover of the video game. Just ask Troy Polamalu ...the Madden 10 cover boy who sustained a devastating knee injury in week 1 last year.

Other victims include Marshall Faulk, Ray Lewis, Vince Young, Shaun Alexander ... and of course Michael Vick.

Good thing Saints fans don't believe in superstitions ...

Sources tell TMZ that Kim's new pad is a Mediterranean villa located in Beverly Hills. The house has 5 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, a grand two-story entry, formal living room and dining room -- each with their own fireplaces.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is named in a brand new lawsuit, all centered around the motivational phrase he used to propel his team to win the Super Bowl -- "Finish Strong."

After the Saints won the big game, Reebok began making shirts featuring the catchphrase -- problem is, another clothing company claims they already own the trademark to those words.

According to legal papers filed in Illinois, the Finish Strong clothing company claims Brees only started using the phrase after he read the Finish Strong book, penned by the company's founder.

Now, Finish Strong is going after Reebok -- claiming they violated their trademark ... and they want the judge to make Reebok fork over every cent they made off the "Finish Strong" slogan.