NY Giants

Enough with the flags ... if NFL players wanna celebrate with props, LET 'EM CELEBRATE ... so says NY Giants wide out Victor Cruz.

With the NFL is cracking down on celebrations this year, Cruz says fans just want to see more FUN on the field (he's right) ... and letting players go all Ochocinco would be a huge step in the right direction!

Injured ankle be damned ... nothing was going to stop NY Giants star Victor Cruz from celebrating his birthday after beating the Eagles on Sunday.

The 29-year-old wide receiver hit up the Hunt & Fish Club in NYC last night following the 28-23 victory ... in which Cruz left the game with an ankle injury.

The injury didn't seem to bother him as he partied with the likes of rapper Fabolous, model Chanel Iman and teammates like Sterling Shepard.

Cruz turns 30 on Friday -- but clearly, he wanted to get a head start on the celebration.

It's obvious Antonio Gates supports the NY Giants decision to fire Josh Brown -- telling TMZ Sports any player who becomes a distraction has gotta go ... period.

The Chargers superstar's real message here is that players are ALWAYS replaceable and on thin ice -- and if you blow your shot (whether it's domestic violence or anything else) ... too bad, so sad ... see ya.

Good news for Brown ... Gates doesn't think the kicker's career is necessarily over.

Josh Brown is sorry revelations of past domestic abuse have hurt the NY Giants ... but also wants to clarify he NEVER struck his wife.

Brown -- who currently is NOT on the NYG active roster -- released a statement through ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"I am sorry that my past has called into question the character or integrity of The New York Giants, Mr. Mara or any of those who have supported me along the way. I have taken measures to get help so that I may be the voice of change, not a statistic."

"It is important to share that I never struck my wife, and never would. Abuse takes many forms, and is not a gray area. Through the past several years I have worked to identify and rectify my own behaviors. The road to rehabilitation is a journey and a constant modification of a way of life."

"My journey will continue forever as a person determined to leave a positive legacy and I embrace the opportunities to show and speak about what has helped me to be that man."

The NY Giants will move Josh Brown off the team roster and onto the Commissioner's exempt list by Friday afternoon ... this according to ESPN.

It's not the same as firing Brown -- he'll basically be in NFL purgatory -- but the network is reporting that "he has kicked his last kick for the Giants."

The move will come in the wake of new documents that have surfaced in Brown's 2015 domestic violence case -- in which the kicker admitted to abusing his ex-wife.

FYI, the list is only available to use by teams dealing with "unusual circumstances" with a player. Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy have previously been on the list.

NY Giants head coach Ben McAdoo says the organization will NOT cut ties with Josh Brown -- despite disturbing new details in his domestic violence case.

"We’re not going to turn our back on Josh," McAdoo said ... "He’s a teammate and a guy we’re hoping makes strides."

McAdoo says he's had a "tough conversation" with Brown -- but wouldn't reveal the details.

When asked if he felt Brown misled him about incidents in the past, McAdoo said, "My conversations one-on-one with Josh, I want to leave those personal. He’s working towards improving himself."

McAdoo says the Giants front office is still reviewing all of the new information -- which includes Brown admitting he abused his ex-wife.

He was also asked about an alleged domestic incident involving his ex-wife at the 2016 Pro Bowl -- and if it concerned him.

"Everything is concerning. We’re working to piece together all the pieces that we can to make a well informed decision."

Josh Brown is seeking help for his domestic violence issues and wants to be a better person ... so says his best friend and former teammate, Steve Weatherford.

Weatherford and Brown played 2 seasons together on the NY Giants -- and have been close for roughly 8 years.

So, we reached out to Steve about the new disturbing details in Josh's domestic violence case -- in which Josh admitted to abusing his ex-wife and acknowledged having serious emotional issues.

"Josh knows what he did was completely uncalled for and he knows what he did was wrong," Steve said.

"I mean he’s my best friend but I’ll tell him that was wrong. But why would I tell him that? He’s already saying it. He’s not denying anything, man. He’s wearing it. He said he made a mistake."

"The difference between Josh Brown and Greg Hardy ... Greg Hardy had no remorse. Greg Hardy did not admit guilt."

The NFL just issued a statement on the new Josh Brown documents from his domestic violence case -- saying the league repeatedly tried to get the info, but cops refused to hand over the information.

"NFL investigators made repeated attempts -- both orally and in writing -- to obtain any and all evidence and relevant information in this case from the King County Sheriff’s Office."

"Each of those requests was denied and the Sheriff’s Office declined to provide any of the requested information, which ultimately limited our ability to fully investigate this matter."

"We concluded our own investigation, more than a year after the initial incident, based on the facts and evidence available to us at the time and after making exhaustive attempts to obtain information in a timely fashion. It is unfortunate that we did not have the benefit or knowledge of these materials at the time."

It's still business as usual for NY Giants kicker Josh Brown -- who just arrived to practice despite disturbing new information in his domestic violence case.

So far, neither Brown nor the Giants have addressed the media about the new police documents -- in which Brown allegedly cops to abusing his ex-wife.

We've reached out to the Giants several times for comment about Brown's status with the team -- but they're not responding to media requests for ANYONE.

Everyone wants to know if Brown will remain on the team or if management will give him his walking papers based on the new info that's come to light.

Could a big-assed porn star save Odell Beckham's season?

Richelle Ryan sure seems to think so ... and the NY Giants superfan is making a plea to the embattled wide receiver to give her a shot.

Ryan -- star of 'White Booty,' "I Like Phat Bunz 2" and "Plump Rumps" -- says she's sick and tired of seeing her team lose and wants to take all matters into her own hands.

"I can tame that kid a little bit, I think."

DeAndre Jordan says Odell Beckham is one of his best friends -- they talk daily -- and he strongly believes the NY Giants star would be better off playing for the Dallas Cowboys.

You know the backstory ... Odell has been having emotional outbursts on the field lately. He claims the refs are targeting him. Giants coaches (past and present) have called him a "distraction."

Jordan -- without naming names -- explained to us, "They're picking on him, giving him a hard time."

But the real statement is when DJ makes it clear he thinks his friend needs to LEAVE NEW YORK and play for the Dallas Cowboys.

How can a player be a distraction when the only person he's yelling at ... is himself?!?!?!

That's what Roddy White wants to know in the case of Odell Beckham and the NY Giants.

The NFL superstar explained why he thinks pointing the finger at Odell is a waste of time and energy ... and instead of criticizing the best player on the team, the G-Men need to draw up better battle plans!!

NY Giants head coach Ben McAdoo just got a vote of confidence from his boss Steve Tisch -- who says he strongly believes Ben and Odell Beckham can work out their issues after OBJ's week 3 outburst.

Beckham seemed upset after McAdoo said the wide receiver was a "distraction" to himself and his teammates -- when he exploded on the sideline during the Giants' loss to the Redskins.

FYI, Beckham appeared to cry on the sidelines and got violent with a kicking net.

Beckham chalked up McAdoo's comments as "he said, she said" talk -- and said his focus was on facing the Vikings on Monday night.

Peyton Manning was impressed by BOTH quarterbacks on the field at the Giants vs. Cowboys game Sunday ... telling TMZ Sports he's "proud" of his brother, Eli, and impressed with Dak Prescott.

Both Mannings -- Peyton and Eli -- were out in NYC Monday morning ... where they both praised the Cowboys quarterback for his play ... even though Dallas lost 20-19.

Despite the expert analysis -- and his guest appearance in the booth during "Thursday Night Football" -- Manning says he's not planning to get into broadcasting.

Now that retired Peyton Manning's got all that free time on his hands, his brother, Eli, says he has NO EXCUSE to miss a NY Giants game ... and wants a post-game recap from Peyton to prove he watched!

Eli Manning called into "The Dan Patrick Show" and said he knows Peyton will be traveling a lot during football season -- but says he still expects full brotherly support.

"He'll definitely be watching the Giants games," Eli said ... "There's no reason he won't. I know he has DirecTV. I know he has the NFL Sunday Ticket."

Eli says he's informed Peyton about the schedule and how to watch games on the road (live streaming to phone) ... and demands a "full recap and maybe an essay about what he thought about each [game] to make sure he's watching."

The war between Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman will NOT spiral out of control on the field again this season, or else ... so says Odell's boss, NY Giants co-owner Steve Tisch.

Both Beckham and Norman were punished by the league last year for going ballistic on each other during the heated Week 15 matchup between the Giants and the Panthers.

So, when we asked Tisch if tensions have cooled -- he told us, "I hope it's over. I hope when the season starts it's in Josh and Odell's past."

He then declared, "What happened on the field is NOT going to happen again this season ... I hope to any player in the league. "