NFL

NBA superstar Damian Lillard is a hardcore Raiders fan -- he's even got the logo tatted on his arm -- but if Oakland cuts Antonio Brown, Dame says he'd consider getting his ink REMOVED!!!

Lillard is from Oakland and proud of it ... hence the tattoo -- so when we saw him at the NBA 2K20 event in L.A. on Thursday, we had to ask about the drama between AB and Mike Mayock.

Of course, EVERYONE is waiting to see if the Raiders cut Brown for allegedly threatening to punch the team's general manager in the face during a heated altercation this week, but Lillard says he's standing with the WR.

"I don't think they should cut 'em," Lillard said ... "I think it's a 0% chance they cut AB."

"Because if they do that, I might have to get my tattoo removed."

Lillard might want to start researching laser removal specialists ... because there's a strong buzz Oakland could get rid of Brown as early as FRIDAY in order to get out of that massive $50 MILLION contract they signed him to.

Stay tuned ...

Bar staffers are lucky they weren't seriously hurt in a brawl involving Cowboys stud Tyrone Crawford back in March ... TMZ Sports has obtained new video of the Florida fight, and TC was throwing BOMBS!!!

Crawford -- a Dallas team captain -- was the centerpiece of a melee inside of a Coyote Ugly bar on March 15 in Panama City Beach, FL.

In new footage we obtained of the whole brawl ... you can see how it all starts, with bouncers aggressively pulling a man by the neck through the crowd.

A short time later, you can see Crawford -- a 6-foot-4, 285-pound D-lineman -- start getting violent with the bar staffers ... throwing some MASSIVE punches as well as a kick that nearly connects with a guy's head.

The brawl shifts from the heart of the venue to the exit ... where you can see Crawford throw EVEN MORE huge punches at Coyote Ugly staffers.

Eventually, the fight spills out of the bar's entrance ... but the punches don't stop -- Crawford swings several more times at bouncers -- connecting with a few of his looping punches.

The craziest part of the whole melee??? Video shows cops were in the middle of it all -- and still struggled to restrain the 29-year-old defensive lineman!!!

In fact, as cops are slapping the cuffs on one of Crawford's friends ... the Cowboys stud puts his hands on them to try to push them off!!!

Finally, cops and bouncers are able to control the situation ... with Crawford eventually getting separated from the fracas.

Tyrone was hit with a misdemeanor charge of affray for the altercation ... but he reached a deal with prosecutors in July to close out the criminal case ahead of Dallas' season.

We're told in exchange for completing an anger management assessment and keeping his nose clean for the next six months ... he'll have the charge dropped.

As for possible NFL punishment, Crawford said last month he had yet to speak with the league's investigators ... and added, "I did what I had to do as best I could."

"I am going to let God take it. I can’t speak on it too much. I am going to let God take it and handle everything, however it works out, it works out. Hopefully, they see my side."

Even though it might've looked like Raiders camp was an absolute circus because of Antonio Brown ... ex-Oakland LB Brandon Marshall tells TMZ Sports that just wasn't the case.

"He really wasn't a distraction 'cause he wasn't here," Marshall says.

AB has yet to go a full week without making a headline since the Raiders kicked off training camp in July ... there's been frostbitten feet, helmet drama, ex-teammate issues AND a wild lawsuit.

But, Marshall -- who was with the Raiders until a surprising cut last week -- tells us despite all of that ... nobody really viewed the receiver as a headache.

"We just didn't know where he was at," Marshall said. "Everybody was just fighting for a spot on the team."

Of course, things have gotten a little hairier since Marshall left the squad -- Brown reportedly got into a yelling match with GM Mike Mayock, and the team looks poised to suspend the receiver over the altercation.

Marshall says that incident shocked him, telling us, "I never thought I'd wake up and hear that news."

But, the linebacker added, "I think they can still reconcile."

By the way, we spoke to Marshall about his experience with "Hard Knocks" ... and ya gotta hear why he tells us his lone appearance on the show sucked!!!

One of the groups getting $200k from Meek Mill is getting blasted for a 2016 photo of its founder cutting a young man's locks -- but the kid himself says it's much ado about nothing.

The pic was tweeted by Crushers Club -- a Chicago youth empowerment group -- almost 3 years ago, and shows Sally Hazelgrove cutting the locks of a teen named Kobe. Someone on the Internet dug up the tweet after TMZ broke the story ... Meek would be donating money to Crushers Club.

The social media backlash is focused on the imagery -- a white woman cutting Kobe's locks -- and Sally's caption, "It's symbolic of change and their desire for a better life." People who are critical think it reeks of cultural insensitivity.

Kobe himself, though, says the critics have it all wrong. Once the Internet outrage began, he quickly posted a video explaining that HE wanted to cut his hair. "That's something I wanted to do because I was tired of it. Tired of gang banging, tired of messing up. Now, I'm a changed young man."

Meek Mill clearly agrees with Kobe when it comes to the work Crushers Club is doing for Chicago's at-risk youth. Meek is in the Windy City -- for his NFL Kickoff concert with Meghan Trainor and Rapsody -- and also to donate the $200k to Crushers.

We reached out to Hazelgrove and she echoed Kobe's statement -- that she was only cutting his hair at his request.

One source involved in Thursday's event said the attacks on Hazelgrove -- who's worked tirelessly for Chicago kids -- came off as reverse racism. Criticism aside ... the event and the donation are going forward as scheduled.

Drew Brees says he's NOT anti-LGBTQ -- despite working with an organization that opposes same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples.

The New Orleans Saints quarterback recently appeared in a video to promote "Bring Your Bible to School Day" which was part of a campaign by a group called Focus on the Family.

In the 22-second video, Brees advises kids to "share God's love with friends" -- he makes no mention of same-sex marriage at all.

But, some people were furious that Brees would agree to work with Focus on the Family in ANY capacity considering the group's position on homosexuality.

According to Queerty.com, FOTF "supports gay conversion therapy and religious freedom laws, believes trans people are deranged, says anti-bullying groups promote homosexuality, and has lobbied for legislation allowing anti-gay workplace discrimination."

Now, Brees is responding to the backlash in a new video saying he's NOT homophobic and respects all people no matter their sexual orientation.

"There's been a lot of negativity spread about me in the LGBTQ community recently based upon an article that someone wrote with a very negative headline, that I think led people to believe that somehow I was aligned with an organization that was anti-LGBTQ and so on and so forth," Brees said.

"I'd like to set the record straight, I live by two very simple Christian fundamentals and that is love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul. And, love your neighbor as yourself."

"I think the first one is very self-explanatory. The second one, love your neighbor as yourself, what does that mean?"

"It means, love all, respect all and accept all. So, that is actually how I live my life. That is what I try to do with my family, with my teammates, with people in my community, with my friends, all people. No matter your race, your color, your religious preference, your sexual orientation, your political [views]."

Ezekiel Elliott is making sure a whole lot of people eat after he got his chunk of Jerry Jones' pie ... telling reporters Thursday he's donating $100,000 to the Salvation Army!!!

Zeke just got a brand new 6-year, $90 MILLION contract from Jerry and the Cowboys ... and he just said at a press conference he'll be giving away a portion of it to help the needy in Dallas.

"In my time here in Dallas, I've formed a really good relationship with the Salvation Army," Zeke said ... "And, I wanted to pledge $100,000 to help them build their new facility to help support the people of need in Dallas."

Elliott's had a long -- and funny -- history with the Salvation Army since he joined the Cowboys ... remember, he famously hopped in the red kettle after scoring a TD back in 2016.

Then, of course, he followed that celebration up with a donation into the red kettle after scoring another TD in 2018!!!

Overall, Zeke's helped the Salvation Army raise thousands of dollars in his 3 years as a Cowboy ... but, clearly, he doesn't think that's enough -- and is throwing in more to the pot now.

NFL legend Mike Ditka knows exactly how he would handle the Antonio Brown drama if he were running things in Oakland ... "I would say, 'hello, goodbye.' I would wish him the best."

Yep, Ditka tells TMZ Sports he thinks the relationship between AB and the Raiders is irreparably broken and at this point it would be best for both sides to simply part ways.

"I don't know Antonio Brown but I think somebody gave him some bad advice," Ditka says ... "The Raiders and [Jon Gruden] don't need that kind of a headache."

Ditka says he knows AB is one "hell of a football player" -- but notes, "One man doesn't make the team. One man can make the team a lot better ... no man is bigger than the team."

As for reports that Brown threatened to "hit" general manager Mike Mayock in the face during a heated altercation this week, Ditka says ... "You don't want that on your football team."

Ditka left us with this note ...

Antonio Brown might wanna watch his back ...

O.J. Simpson is pretty upset with the Raiders WR -- claiming Brown's drama in Oakland is really putting a damper on his fantasy football team.

"I've been in tears," the convicted felon said in a new video ... "What's going on, Antonio Brown?!"

"I drafted Andrew Luck and 20 minutes later he retired. I drafted you, Antonio, because I admire your game."

Simpson even laid a GUILT TRIP on Brown -- saying thousands of people are depending on AB to take the field.

"Look man, play ball. Cash them big-ass checks that you're getting and move on, man. Stop with all of this drama."

Just suspend, baby.

The Oakland Raiders are about to put Antonio Brown on ice -- after the superstar WR "got into it" with general manager Mike Mayock ... so says ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"The Next Chapter: Antonio Brown and GM Mike Mayock got into it Wednesday, and the team is now planning to suspend its star wide receiver, league sources tell ESPN."

It's obvious what's happening here ... Mayock fined Brown roughly $54,000 for missing team workouts in August.

Brown posted the disciplinary letter from the Raiders on social media and said the team was "hating" on him.

Clearly, Mayock and the Raiders didn't take kindly to the public attack which apparently led to the confrontation between AB and Mayock.

Schefter elaborated ... "Antonio Brown posted the fine letter on social media that Raiders’ GM Mike Mayock sent him. It led to an exchange, which is now leading to further discipline. This is not going away anytime soon."

Mayock had expressed displeasure with Brown for missing practices while dealing with his helmet issue -- after the league told AB he couldn't use his old helmet because it didn't pass the NFL's safety protocol.

Brown had also missed time dealing with foot issues after he suffered extreme frostbite from a cryogenic chamber mishap.

Adjust your fantasy football roster accordingly ...

Jemele Hill says Marcellus Wiley took the debate on Colin Kaepernick to "an ignorant place" by insinuating Kap isn't Black enough to lead the charge on social justice.

We got Hill at LAX and asked her about Wiley's recent appearance on Van Lathan's 'Red Pill Podcast' where Wiley said he thought Kaepernick was wrong for kneeling in the first place.

Hill said Wiley -- who who she considers a friend -- is entitled to his opinion on Kap's protest, but is NOT entitled to question the QB's status as a member of the African-American community.

"My only disappointment in what Marcellus said is that he pivoted the conversation to kind of an ignorant place."

"Reasonable minds can differ, so if we have a difference of opinion that's totally fine. Just don't pivot it to an ignorant place where we're talking about somebody's blackness."

Jemele is talking about a specific statement Wiley made on his FS1 show, "Speak For Yourself," where he said Kaepernick didn't have a connection to the black struggle, because he's a mixed race and his adopted family is white.

Hill thinks that type of criticism is totally out of bounds, and actually hurtful to the black community overall.

"Whenever we start having a who's blacker than who conversation, that's when we get into trouble."

We also asked Hill if she thinks we'll ever see Kap back in the NFL and she says definitely "No" -- explaining why Donald Trump effectively put an end to his pro football career.

Don't get it twisted, Hill is ADAMANT Kap has the talent to play in the league -- but thinks there are too many "cowardly" owners who are afraid to go up against POTUS.

Brett Favre believes in his Green Bay Packers -- telling TMZ Sports they're gonna "surprise a lot of people" this season and WIN the NFC North!!!!

The Hall of Famer knows there's been a lot of changes with his squad over the past year, but the most important component is Aaron Rodgers ... and Favre is a STRONG believer.

But, how will Rodgers get along with new head coach Matt LaFleur?

"It will be interesting to see how the dynamics work as the season unfolds," Favre says.

"I don't know much about LaFleur, he may be a great coach, might be a great guy, I don't know ... I don't know him, it's not my place to say anything in regards to that."

"But, I do know Aaron. And, the reason they've been in contention year in and year out is because of him ... and you don't want to restrict even though, supposedly, the offense has changed to a certain extent. We will see. We'll see how that plays out this whole season."

There's been talk that LaFleur is taking away Aaron's ability to call audibles at the line of scrimmage ... but Favre thinks that would be a mistake.

"We'll see how much freedom is granted towards Aaron and rightfully so. He deserves to play and just to do what he does best."

As for the 2019 Packers, Favre says the most important thing is to "find their identity again ... and I know it rests with Aaron Rodgers."

And, when they get clickin', Favre says the sky's the limit.

"I think they may surprise a lot of people ... I tend to think that they'll slip in there and win the division."

Of course, they'll have to start by defeating the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football -- a game Favre is so excited about, he agreed to promote it with the help of the Bears' superfans from 'SNL.'

Jon Gruden's loss could be Vince McMahon's gain ... 'cause "Last Chance U" star Ronald Ollie is getting an invite to join the XFL.

Ollie became a fan favorite on the Netflix docuseries ... which followed the East Mississippi Community College football team for the first 2 seasons.

The guy clearly has talent ... he showed that on 'LCU' and went on to ball out at Nicholls State from 2016-2018, earning 13.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries.

Ollie earned a Southland All-Conference honorable mention in 2018 ... which was enough to land him an invite to Oakland Raiders training camp earlier this season.

But, the 'Chance' star is getting another chance if he wants it ... 'cause XFL commissioner Oliver Luck has formally extended an invitation for Ollie to join the new league's player draft pool.

BTW -- Some notable ex-NFLers have already accepted their invite -- from Ryan Mallett to Landry Jones.

The 23-year-old's brief stint on the Raiders was documented on HBO's "Hard Knocks" ... which showed him skipping medical meetings and getting cut very quickly.

Colin Kaepernick to Odell Beckham?!

Yeah, it happened during a private workout session back in July ... and it's all on video.

Colin and Odell connected at UCLA for some QB, WR work --  they ran routes, Colin worked on throwing on the run and flexed his arm strength.

And, get this ... Odell showed up to the workout wearing a Colin Kaepernick #7 jersey.

Kap has been trying to showcase his skills recently in the hopes an NFL team will give him a workout. So far it hasn't happened, but he's still trying.

Just this week, Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins vouched for Kaepernick during an interview with GQ magazine -- claiming the guy is clearly good enough to help an NFL team win.

Hopkins says he was upset when the Texans passed over Kap when they needed a QB in 2017 following an injury to Deshaun Watson.

Antonio Brown is calling out his own team -- claiming the Raiders are "hating" on him by fining him nearly $54,000 for missing practices and workouts.

The Oakland Raiders WR posted a photo of the disciplinary letter he got from Raiders GM Mike Mayock, explaining why he was docked $13,950 for missing a walk through on August 22 and $40,000 for missing training camp on August 18.

Brown was MIA on both of those dates due to issues with his helmet -- it's been well-documented and was a main story line on "Hard Knocks."

Brown has since returned to practice and has a helmet he likes -- but clearly, he didn't expect to get hit with fines ... especially with head coach Jon Gruden defending him publicly.

"When your own team want to hate but there's no stopping me now," Brown said on social media.

"Devil is a lie. Everyone got to pay this year so we clear," he added.

FYI, August 18 is the day Mayock called out Brown to the media -- saying he either needs to be "all in or all out."

August 22 was a preseason game and, while AB was in attendance, the Raiders claim he blew off the pregame walk through.

The NFL regular season kicks off this week -- the Raiders play the Broncos on Monday Night Football -- and ya gotta wonder how this new drama will affect him on the field.

Here's a transcript of the letter Maytock sent to Brown informing him of the fines.

"As you know, you did not participate in the Raiders' walk through on August 22. Your absence from practice was unexcused. Accordingly, you are hereby fined $13,950 pursuant to Article 42, Section 1 (a)(viii) of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Raiders' Club Discipline Schedule. 

You were previously fined $40,000 for missing Raiders' preseason training camp on August 18. Please be advised that should you continue to miss mandatory team activities including practices and g ames, the Raiders reserve the right to impose additional remedies available under the Club's Discipline Schedule, the CBS and your NFL Player Contract, including but not limited to, additional fines and discipline for engaging in Conduct Detriminetal to the Club. 

Ezekiel Elliott just got PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDDD!!!

The Dallas Cowboys superstar ended his holdout Wednesday by inking the most lucrative running back deal EVER -- signing a new 6-year, $90 MILLION extension to stay with the 'Boys!!!

Zeke had been away from Dallas camp all summer ... protesting the final two years of his rookie contract that were set to pay him just $3.85 million this year and $9 million in 2020.

But, Jerry Jones tore up that old deal and gave his star RB a fat new extension with $50 MILLION GUARANTEED ... which puts Zeke on track to play this weekend for the Giants.

In other words, Zeke will make $103 million over 8 years -- and according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, he's the 1st Cowboy to break the $100 million mark in total value, and is the richest RB contract.

That's right, fantasy owners -- BREATHE!!

As for Jerry and the 'Boys, seems this deal was a no-brainer ... everyone from Terrell Owens to Michael Irvin told TMZ Sports over the past few weeks Dallas HAS TO HAVE Elliott to win a Super Bowl this season.

Of course, there is some worry of rust ... Elliott hasn't taken a hit from an NFL player since he suited up for the Cowboys in their playoff game against the Rams last winter.

And, when we spoke to ex-NFL superstar Chris Johnson, he told us that concern is legitimate.

But, Dallas sure seems set to let him shake off all that dust this weekend ... Jason Garrett told reporters earlier this week the guy didn't need much practice to suit up against the Giants on Sunday.

As for what's next for the Cowboys ... Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper still need to be paid.

Keep that checkbook nearby, Jerry!

Meek Mill and Meghan Trainor will make a crucial visit to kids in Chicago to set the tone -- a $400k tone -- for the NFL and Roc Nation's nationwide social outreach.

Sources connected to the league tell us its Inspire Change program is donating $400,000 to 2 Chicago groups which give at-risk kids alternatives to gang and gun violence. Meek and Meghan -- as well as Vic Mensa and Rapsody -- will visit both programs this week.

We're told the groups were hand-selected and vetted by Roc Nation, which started working with the NFL when Jay-Z launched his new partnership with the league.

One of the groups is BBF (Better Boys Foundation) Family Services -- which, we're told, Vic and Rapsody will visit Wednesday. Founded in the 1960s ... BBF says it provides education, employment and youth services, as well as family health programs to more than 400 families.

The other group, Crushers Club, says its mission is to help Chicago kids "restore their lives and improve their neighborhoods." Meghan and Meek will be at Crusher's on Thursday ... ahead of their NFL Kickoff concert.

As we reported, Meek and Meghan came on board, not just to perform the NFL Kickoff concert, but as advocates for Inspire Change -- the league's arm to support player and team efforts to focus on education, police and community relation and criminal justice reform.