EXCLUSIVE

Here's a case of actually adding insult to injury ... because a former NFL wide receiver accidentally shot himself with a loaded gun -- and was then charged with a crime ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The man behind the trigger is 30-year-old Josh Morgan -- who spent 7 seasons in the league with the 49ers, Redskins and Bears.

TMZ Sports has learned ... cops in Virginia responded to a report of a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound around 9 PM on January 31st.

We're told Morgan claimed he was cleaning the weapon when it accidentally went off ... leaving him with non-life threatening injuries.

He was hospitalized and we're told he'll be okay -- but now he's got a new set of problems because he's been charged with misdemeanor reckless use of a firearm and has a court date in March.