Oakland Raiders

The Raiders NEED Los Angeles ... and Los Angeles NEEDS the Raiders -- so says Hollywood legend Louis Gossett Jr. who tells TMZ Sports it's time to bring the Silver & Black back to where they belong.

Louis -- who recently appeared on "Celebrity Ghost Stories" -- says L.A. is still haunted by the ghosts of it's NFL past ... even since the Raiders left L.A. for Oakland back in '95.

The only way to exercise the demon??? BRING 'EM BACK!!!

A former Oakland Raiders cheerleader is BLASTING the ex-Raiderette who sued the NFL team ... calling her a "liar" who never really loved the sport.

TMZ Sports spoke with Nicole Rodrigues -- who cheered on the squad in 2003 and 2004 -- who insists she was always paid well during her time with the team.

"The Raiders, the whole organization, we're a family. That's the main thing ... they took care of us."

Not all of the former Raiderettes feel that way -- as we previously reported, a woman who called herself Lacy T. sued the team earlier this year claiming the team worked them like dogs and paid them less than minimum wage.

But Rodrigues is calling BS ... saying the women behind the suit are just looking for a quick buck -- and didn't appreciate the Raiderette experience

Bottom line for Rodrigues -- "I have zero complaints about how much I was paid."

With officials announcing that Flight 370 "ended in the pacific ocean" ... several athletes are offering their thoughts and prayers to the families who lost loved ones in the crash.

NFL star Justin Tuck tweeted, "Praying to the families of those who lost their lives on Malaysia airlines flight 370."

Team USA soccer star Alex Morgan posted, " So sad for the families, but a little closure as well. #Flight370."

Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor tells TMZ Sports ... he's been training like a maniac this off-season -- waking up at 5AM every day in pursuit of a starting QB job in the NFL.

Pryor was in Downtown L.A. yesterday when we just happened the 6'6" football star -- and asked him about rumors he could be shipped out of Oakland.

"I can't really worry about the things I can't control," Terrelle said.

Still, the guy told us about his grueling training regimen -- busting his ass with legendary trainer Travelle Gaines and working out at USC ... where Tim Tebow's been spotted recently.

One more thing ... Pryor was a high school basketball stud -- and tells TMZ Sports he still hoops around with one of his celebrity friends.

With a federal investigation underway into allegations the Oakland Raiders grossly underpaid their cheerleaders ... the Raiderettes are finally getting a shot at a fair income .... thanks to Penthouse.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the legendary nudie mag has reached out to the squad in the hopes of hiring some of the women for a "tasteful pictorial in the magazine."

As we previously reported, one of the Raiderettes has already filed a lawsuit against the team claiming she made less than $5-per-hour ... way less than the state mandated minimum wage. And the U.S. Dept. of Labor is investigating the team.

Sources connected to the situation tell us ... Penthouse is prepared to make a "significant offer" to the women if they're interested in showing a little skin. We're told the mag isn't pushing for full nudity.

In a letter sent to the team squad, Penthouse says ... "You can even wear your silver and black ... or not."

So far, unclear if any of the Raiderettes are game.

The Oakland Raiders are now the target of a federal investigation into allegations the team pays its cheerleading squad members FAR LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE.

The U.S. Dept. of Labor has confirmed it's looking into the team ... just days after a Raiderette named Lacy T. filed a lawsuit saying she gets paid less than $5-an-hour to shake her pom-poms.

A rep for the Labor Dept. says it's looking into the "entire cheerleading squad" ... and not just the claims made by Lacy.

In her lawsuit, Lacy claimed each Raiderette only makes $1,250 per season -- and job requires not only working all 10 home games, but attending rehearsals, charity events, fan events and posing for a swimsuit calendar.

Ex-NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski tells TMZ Sports ... there are a handful of dirty plays from his NFL career he wishes he could take back -- like the time he SNAPPED A DUDE'S FINGER!!!

Bill -- one of the most ferocious defensive players of all time -- is out in NYC for the Super Bowl ... and says he still feels bad about the time he was in a pile with running back Dave Meggett, grabbed the guy's finger and "cracked it like a chicken bone."

"I heard it and felt it ... and then heard the scream at the bottom of the pile."

Still, Bill admits, "There are probably 5 plays I'd love to take back ... but I can't."

Thomas Howard – an NFL linebacker who was cut by the Falcons last week – killed himself and another person this morning when he slammed into a big rig truck at more than 100MPH ... officials say.

Witnesses told the CHP ... Howard -- a 2nd round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft -- was blazing down a highway in Oakland, CA when he lost control of his BMW 750Li and smashed into the back of a semi.

Howard's car went airborne and flew across the center median -- and eventually collided with a Chevy Monte Carlo AND a Honda CR-V.

The collision was bad, both Howard and the driver of the Honda -- a 55-year-old man -- died at the scene.

The driver of the Chevy was transported to a nearby hospital. The condition of the semi driver is unknown.

30-year-old Howard was drafted by the Oakland Raiders and blossomed into a star. He also played for the Bengals and most recently the Falcons. He was cut by ATL on November 12.

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis died from a broken heart ... this according to his death certificate obtained by TMZ.

The document reveals three primary causes of death:

A) Ventricular fibrillation -- a dangerously abnormal heart rhythm
B) Congestive heart failure
C) Cardiomyopathy -- heart muscle disease

According to the death certificate, Al died at the Oakland Airport Hilton at 2:45 AM on October 8th.

The document shows Al had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy years ago ... and suffered a ventricular fibrillation just 15 minutes before his death. Davis also suffered from Merkel cell carcinoma -- an aggressive form of skin cancer.

According to the doc, Davis -- who was involved with the NFL for 60 years -- underwent throat surgery just three days before his death. Davis also had heart surgery in 1996.

Legendary NFL running back Eric Dickerson played for the Oakland Raiders for one year back in the '90s ... but it's clear, he had NO LOVE for Al Davis.

Dickerson was out in L.A. last night -- when he made a huge statement about his former boss, without having to say too much.

Al Davis, the legendary owner of the Oakland Raiders, died today at the age of 82.

The team announced his death on their website, with no further details. They did released a statement saying, "Al Davis was unique, a maverick, a giant among giants, a true legend among legends, the brightest star among stars, a hero, a mentor, a friend."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Davis "defined the Raiders and contributed to pro football at every level. The respect he commanded was evident in the way that people listened carefully every time he spoke. He is a true legend of the game whose impact and legacy will forever be part of the NFL."

Davis has been involved with the NFL for 60 years, starting off as an assistant coach with the San Diego Chargers. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1992.

Davis was famous for coining the phrases "commitment to excellence" and "Just win, baby."

The Raiders won Super Bowls XI, XV and XVIII ... but have struggled mightily the last several years.

Just a month ago, we asked broadcaster Al Michaels if the Raiders would ever win with Al Davis running things. His answer was very clear.

Snoop Dogg, a famously huge football fan, tweeted his thoughts today on the passing of Al Davis.

NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl ... or three ... and last night, he spoke out AGAINST Al Michaels ... saying the Oakland Raiders CAN win a championship during Al Davis' lifetime.

Irvin told TMZ ... it doesn't matter who's running the front office -- insisting the PLAYERS ultimately determine the success of an NFL franchise.

It's great logic in theory ... but Davis is the man who puts the players on the field -- and over the years, he's picked guys like JaMarcus Russell and Andrew Walter.

So, we gotta ask ...

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis believes Al Michaels secretly blames him for planting a FALSE news report about Michaels cheating on his wife a while back ... and suggests that's the REAL reason Michaels blasted him on TMZ over the weekend.

After the NFL announcer RIPPED Davis ... calling him a terrible owner who's probably gonna die soon ... Oakland Raiders P.R. Director Mike Taylor gave the following statement to TMZ:

"We have no idea what Michaels was blathering about. I do remember Michaels being associated with an ultimately bogus report about adultery and other misdeeds and he thought Al Davis had something to do with it. Al Davis had nothing to do with it."

"During the recent Raiders/Saints broadcast, Chris Collinsworth put Michaels in his place when Michaels was speaking about the Raiders. John Madden did the same thing when he was in the booth with Michaels."

"We do not know what started this."

The Oakland Raiders will never EVER win another Super Bowl as long as the owner Al Davis is alive and breathing ... so says legendary "Sunday Night Football" announcer Al Michaels.

Al was leaving Boa Restaurant in Hollywood last night, when our photog -- a HUGE Raiders fan -- asked point blank, "Are we ever going to win a Super Bowl while Al Davis is still alive."

Michaels' response -- "NO."

FYI -- Davis is an NFL Hall of Famer who is largely credited with merging the AFL with the NFL ... and transforming the league into the POWERHOUSE it is today. But in the past decade, he's come under some serious fire ... because the Raiders are terrible.

Still, when we asked Michaels if he considered Davis a genius, he told us, "If you had a team that lost 11 or more games in SEVEN consecutive years, would you say a genius ran the team?"

NFL bust JaMarcus Russell is still paying for the mess he made in Oakland ... but this time it's a good thing.

TMZ has learned ... the #1 overall pick in the 2007 Draft was hit with a $223,180.05 lien by the State of California Tax Board for failing to pay his taxes in 2008 ... when he still played for the Raiders.

But this story has a happy ending, because according to court documents filed in Alameda County, CA -- JaMarcus recently paid off his debt the lien has been released.

Russell still has ties to Oakland -- where a $2.4 million mansion he owns is still in foreclosure and is set to be auctioned off next month ... unless he decides to pay off the debts and penalties.