Isaiah Washington Says Terry Crews is Being Railroaded by Hollywood

Isaiah Washington knows what it's like to be shunned by Hollywood ... and that's why he's going to bat for Terry Crews.

We got Isaiah out at LAX Monday and asked him about the backlash his friend, Terry, has gotten after claiming he was sexually assaulted by a powerful Hollywood agent. Russell Simmons even tried silencing him.

Isaiah knows firsthand what it's like to get blackballed -- he went from being a star on the hit TV show "Grey's Anatomy" before he was fired in 2007 for using a homophobic slur in an argument on set with Patrick Dempsey. It subsequently led Isaiah on a years-long drought without a major role on TV.