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Colin Kaepernick's attorney just went off on NFL Commish Roger Goodell -- claiming his explanation that teams just don't think Colin can help them win is the biggest crock he's ever heard.

And, Kap's lawyer is using Mark Sanchez to make his point.

Mark Geragos appeared on "Today" Thursday and was asked about the comments Goodell made at his State of the NFL Address this week ... when Goodell said Kap's unemployment status is based on football, not politics.

"Anybody who believes that will believe that Mark Sanchez was a better choice," Geragos said ... noting several other QBs who are "well past their prime" were also signed this season.

Geragos also asked why NFL teams did NOT give Kap a workout in 2018 -- "Why didn't anybody ever bring him in and see where his skills were at? I think the whole thing is basically a ruse."

Geragos believes Goodell's statement will help Kap's collusion case against the NFL -- saying, "The collusion actually was the NFL kowtowing to [President Trump]."

He also says ... "There isn't anybody who's got a couple of neurons firing that wouldn't say this is collusive activity."

For the record, Mark Sanchez was signed by the Washington Redskisn at the end of the NFL season after starting QB Alex Smith went down with an injury.

Renewed interest in Ted Bundy has attracted tons of voyeurs to his former Utah residence -- which has become a giant pain in the ass for residents.

A tenant who lives in the 2-story, 5-unit home -- which continues to serve as a boarding house, of sorts -- tells TMZ, foot traffic at the crib has significantly increased since the release of Netflix's 'Ted Bundy Tapes' doc and Zac Efron's Bundy film trailer.

Bundy lived here from 1974-1975 -- and urban legend has it, he might've even brought some of his victims back to the home. We're told Bundy used to stay in Room #2, which has since been relabeled Room #5. The tenant says somebody currently occupies that space.

What's really upsetting ... the barrage of gawkers cropping up in increasing numbers. We're told many simply wanna snap photos of the pad, while others have the audacity to peruse the grounds to eyeball a fire escape he used to climb when he wanted to come and go unnoticed.

JWoww is accusing her estranged husband, Roger, of violent outbursts, putting their kids in danger, conspiring with her exes ... and she's sharing a disturbing video, apparently of him throwing her to the ground.

The 'Jersey Shore' star posted a lengthy statement on her website Wednesday, alleging Roger Mathews was abusive to her on multiple occasions over the course of their 3-year marriage. She included several videos ... one of which appears to be surveillance footage of a violent incident.

In the clip, you can see Roger grab her and throw her to the ground. It sounds like he says, "You wanna get violent?" JWoww gets up and throws something at him, saying, "F**k you." You hear kids screaming in the background.

JWoww also claims Roger was partly responsible for her ex-BF, Thomas Lippolis, being arrested last month for allegedly trying to extort her. JWoww says Roger got in touch with Thomas to "team up" against her and ruin her life.

She also says Roger has contacted other exes of hers to "take [her] down."

Jenni goes on to say that Roger's painted a misleading picture of himself as a great dad on social media with their 2 kids, but behind the scenes ... she says he's often neglectful of their needs and medical conditions. She also describes an alleged threat from Roger involving a USB she says he promised to use against her.

JWoww says the USB footage shows her breaking down hysterically as Roger records her and holds their baby boy, Greyson. She says the video is out of context and she's not afraid of it being released. She's posted at least part of that video on her website.

She says that despite all this, she's tried keeping things civil enough for the sake of their kids, but claims he's been a nightmare to deal with on every front.

It's been a bumpy ride since she filed for divorce. JWoww got a temporary restraining order against Roger in December and got him booted from the house.

Forget diamond Super Bowl rings ... Sean McVay's smokin' hot GF is opting for crystals for Sunday's big game -- 'cause she just got a custom jacket made with 4,000 of 'em in it!!!

TMZ Sports has learned Veronika Khomyn hit up Leah Miller at Bella Artistry to have a one-of-a-kind piece made to cheer on her BF during the Rams-Pats game ... and the fit came out GREAT.

We're told, the satin bomber jacket was hand-cut and hand-sewn ... and had 4,000 Swarovski crystals hand-placed into it.

The jacket also features a "Mob Squad" patch and a whole bunch of Rams logos ... and, in total, took about 14 HOURS to complete.

We're told similar jackets run for around $1,000 ... and Khomyn completed the outfit by adding a custom Rams hat that featured 600 crystals hand-set into it!!!

Veronika won't be the only WAG stuntin' at the Super Bowl ... tons of BOTH Rams and Patriots wives hit up Leah to get their own one-of-a-kind gear made for the game.

So, you be the judge ... who's winning the Rams-Pats swag battle in the box suites this weekend???

Lil Wayne says his ex-lawyer pulled a fast one -- for more than a decade -- and to the tune of more than $20 million ... and now it's time for the big payback.

Wayne is suing Ronald Sweeney -- who repped him from 2005 through Sept. 2018 -- because he says the attorney was charging some hefty fees. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Wayne says Sweeney charged him 10 percent for every deal he helped close. The problem is ... Wayne claims Sweeney failed to inform him the industry standard is a mere 5 percent.

That up-charge cost Wayne a bundle -- he says Sweeney made $20 million during his tenure.

According to the docs, Sweeney got pretty greedy ... proposing he get an additional 10 percent of all profits from Wayne's label, Young Money -- but Wayne says that was swiftly shot down.

Still, he says Sweeney even brought in outside help. In the suit, he says Sweeney hired another law firm to aid in the litigation with Cash Money over the 'Carter V' deal.

Wayne says that firm got 23 percent of the Cash Money settlement and 15 percent of the Universal Music Group settlement. Those numbers clearly stick in Wayne's craw because he says all that was on top of Sweeney's inflated 10 percent.

Sen. Rand Paul was just awarded over a half a mil, 'cause he won his lawsuit against his neighbor who beat him up ... and came up big in damages.

The Kentucky U.S. senator was awarded $580k in total damages and medical expenses Wednesday by a jury of his peers out in Bowling Green. The jury reportedly deliberated for about two hours before reaching their decision. Here's the breakdown:

-- $375,000 in punitive damages

-- $200,000 for pain and suffering

-- $7,834 for medical expenses

As we reported ... Sen. Paul sued his neighbor, Rene Boucher, last summer after the 2017 attack. Paul said Boucher tackled him from behind during a heated argument that stemmed from landscaping beef. Boucher was pissed Paul kept leaving debris on his property.

Sen. Paul suffered 6 broken ribs from the attack. Boucher had already pled guilty in a criminal case and served 30 days in jail.

Greg Louganis says if President Trump had any spine he would denounce Jussie Smollett's MAGA attackers ... but adds, for obvious reasons, he ain't expecting it.

We got the Olympic diving legend at LAX Wednesday and got his take on the battle cry Jussie says his attackers used -- "MAGA country!" The remark immediately politicized the heinous attack on Jussie and, earlier this week, Rev. Al Sharpton told us POTUS needs to speak out against the hate-fueled attack on the "Empire" star.

Even 9 lives can't withstand 20 degrees below zero -- which is why Chicagoans are on a mission to save hundreds of thousands of stray cats ... with the help of tons of straw.

A grassroots community in Chi-Town called "Chicago Community Cats" has been bracing for a week for the polar vortex temperatures by prepping makeshift shelters for stray and feral cats. Erica Roewade, who runs the group, says about 200 people have been working around the clock to build straw-stuffed bins to keep the kitties warm.

It's a huge undertaking. Chi-Town reportedly has roughly 200k feral cats roaming its streets and alleys.

Roewade says the group has also purchased about 100 "Snuggle Safe Disks" (which also keep pets warm), heated water bowls and other supplies to distribute throughout the city.

Considering temps are expected to stay in the negative all week -- Roewade says the most important thing is to keep the frigid wind and airflow off the kitties.

Three known associates of Tekashi 6ix9ine just got slapped with federal indictments, and law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Tekashi dropped the dime on one of them for the Chief Keef shooting.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Kintea McKenzie, Anthony Ellison and Denard Butler have all been indicted in connection with crimes related to Tekashi.

More specifically, we're told McKenzie (aka Kooda B) was indicted right after Tekashi spoke with investigators and pinned him as the trigger man at the Keef shooting last June in Times Square.

McKenzie was allegedly paid $10k to shoot Chief Keef ... according to our law enforcement sources. Remember, Tekashi and Keef had been beefing leading up to the shooting. As we first reported ... 2 men, including a known Tekashi associate, tracked down Keef in NYC and opened fire but missed.

We're told authorities have not apprehended McKenzie. Ellison is already in custody for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting Tekashi ... and Butler was busted by the ATF on Wednesday. Ellison and Butler are expected to appear in court later this afternoon.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of NY declined to comment on Tekashi's cooperation. We've reached out to Tekashi's lawyer, so far no word back.

As we previously reported ... the feds had been looking into whether Tekashi ordered the hit after he appeared to dime himself out on video. He's been behind bars since November when he was busted on racketeering charges.

Roger Goodell was just asked -- twice -- why he thinks Colin Kaepernick is not on an NFL roster ... and he pointed the finger at NFL teams who don't believe the QB can help them win games.

In other words, Goodell says it's about football -- not politics.

Goodell was addressing the media live from Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta -- in a crowd packed with reporters from all over the world and even a few NFL owners (ATL's Arthur Blank and NE's Robert Kraft).

When the subject of Kaepernick came up ... it was clear Roger had his answers ready -- hammering the same main talking point ... that roster decisions are made by individual teams looking to win games.

"Our clubs are the ones that make decisions on players that they wanna have on their roster," Goodell said.

"They make that individually. They make that in the best interests of their team."

He added, "They all want to win ... and they're all gonna do whatever they can to win."

When a second reporter pushed Goodell on the issue he reiterated his points.

"I think if a team decides that Colin Kaepernick or any other player can help their team win, that's what they'll do."

"They want to win and they make those decisions individually in the best interests of their club."

Goodell is clearly pushing the individuality of decision-making, because Colin is suing the NFL for collusion -- claiming NFL owners and key officials conspired to keep him out of the league because of his kneeling demonstration during the national anthem.

The thing that makes the least amount of sense ... is that guys like Nathan Peterman and other sub-par quarterbacks are getting multiple workouts and opportunities with NFL clubs while Colin is not.

Besides taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl back in 2013 -- Kaepernick has thrown for 72 TDs and only 30 INTs in his pro career.

"Empire" star Jussie Smollett didn't want to be encumbered by an entourage of bodyguards when he wasn't working ... despite an offer by Fox a week before the brutal attack.

Sources close to the situation tell us ... security for the "Empire" cast was increased last week after Fox Studios, in Chicago, received that threatening, homophobic letter addressed to Smollett.

We're told Fox made the call to beef up security for everyone on set and wanted to give Jussie additional protection around the clock ... but, he declined. Our sources say he made the decision to not have extra security during off-hours because it was an intrusive way of living.

We broke the story ... the actor was brutally attacked by 2 men in Chicago after he arrived late Monday from New York, and made a 2 AM run to Subway for food. The 2 men -- both white and wearing ski masks -- beat Jussie, put a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him. As they left the injured actor, the men screamed, "MAGA country."

Our "Empire" production sources tell us Jussie will have 24/7 armed security going forward ... at least until the 2 thugs are apprehended.

Smollett missed shooting on Tuesday as he recovered from his injuries, but we're told he plans to return soon, and the show will go on as planned ... although, the shooting schedule will be reshuffled to accommodate Jussie.

Chicago cops are still investigating the incident. The FBI continues to investigate the threatening letter containing the racist and homophobic slurs. Both agencies are trying to determine if the letter and the attack are connected.

Kylie Jenner is just like you when it comes to grub on the go -- she orders from Postmates -- but, like, A LOT more than us ... as in $10k a year!!!

Kylie is set to be featured on Postmates' series The Receipt and, based on her order history ... KJ has crept up to be one of its top customers, especially early in the morning. Most of her orders were placed around 10 AM every other day for the past year, or so. We're told she placed 186 Postmates orders in 2018.

Her food runs ranged from a bottle of Don Julio Añejo 1942 Tequila to a lone carrot (more on that later).

Here are a few of Kylie's favorite places to order from:

-- Ralph's

-- Bristol Farms

-- Joey Woodland Hills

And, if you were curious about what she tends to order over and over, peep:

-- Cream cheese bagel (The Bagel Broker)

-- Matcha latte (Cha Cha Matcha)

-- Turkey breast and provolone sandwich (Jersey Mike's)

Apparently, Kylie also once ordered one single carrot from Bristol Farms, which she tells The Receipt she needed for some matzo ball soup.

Whatever she needs ... it sounds like Postmates has Kylie's back.

Ariana Grande should brush up on her Japanese the next time she wants some permanent ink, 'cause she fell victim to a tattoo faux pas that paints her as Japanese BBQ's #1 fan.

AG recently debuted a new tat on the palm of her hand which featured Japanese characters that she thought spelled out "7 Rings" -- the title of her new single.

Unfortunately for her, the tattoo artist who did the job forgot a couple key characters ... and the tat actually reads "shichirin," which translates to Japanese style barbecue grill. Her fans quickly pointed this out and she deleted the photo from her Instagram.

Ari later admitted to the mistake in a since-deleted tweet ... saying she left out the characters, and added, "It hurt like f**k n still looks tight. I wouldn’t have lasted one more symbol lmao. But this spot also peels a ton and won’t last so if I miss it enough I’ll suffer thru the whole thing next time."

Steve Harvey is showing incredibly strong support for Jussie Smollett -- particularly as a black man, but he seems to be dismissing one major part of the alleged attack.

Steve posted this video undoubtedly to make it clear how much support Jussie is getting around the country. As he put it, "I don't have all that eloquent stuff to say. As a black man in this country, I'm down with you."

He also made a point of saying, "This ain't about sexual preference or nothing."

You know Jussie says his attackers used a homophobic slur, as well as the n-word -- and we know the threatening letter sent to him at Fox Studios also used a homophobic slur. Seems Jussie's sexual preference is definitely relevant to the alleged attack.

But, Steve says very strongly, for him ... "This is about coming to the aid of another brother that has tasted the brutality of hatred, racism and bigotry."

On that ... almost all of us would agree.

Originally Published -- 7:19 AM PT

8:51 AM PT -- "Empire" star Taraji P. Henson also voiced her support for Jussie and outrage at the alleged crime by posting a powerful music video of Jussie with a message, stating, "HATE WILL NOT WIN!!!!"