Rihanna Denies Romance Reports With Raiders' McFadden

Sources close to Rihanna tell us, the singer did meet Darren last month in Honolulu -- while she was promoting her new film "Battleship" -- but they kept things strictly platonic.

We're told Darren -- who was WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND -- introduced himself to Rihanna as a fan ... and Rihanna bought Darren and his GF drinks on the beach. That's it.