For the 22nd year in a row, Shawne Merriman will get out into the community in order to assist the needy ... and he tells TMZ Sports he couldn't be happier to do it!
The Chargers legend is hosting his annual Lights On Foundation Coat Drive later Saturday ... just before his alma mater, the University of Maryland, takes on Rutgers in a big college football game.
The ex-pass rusher says he'll personally be at the event -- helping collect "gloves, scarves, hats" and "anything that's going to keep people warm" as the cold winter months approach.
Manti Te'o appears to be slowly but surely getting over the girlfriend hoax story that rocked his life ... 'cause he just poked fun at the situation during one of his first appearances at his new NFL Network job -- and it was hilarious!!
Te'o -- who officially joined the NFL Network this week -- made the funny while appearing on Friday's edition of "Good Morning Football."
One of the segments on the show required him to answer some trivia questions about his alma mater -- the University of Notre Dame -- and when he began to struggle to come up with correct responses, he dropped a zinger about not Googling himself that had the whole room laughing.
Michael Irvin tells TMZ Sports he believes the Pro Football Hall of Fame robbed Antonio Gates by bypassing him for the 2024 class ... but he's now offering some advice for the tight end to get through it.
Irvin said at the "A Night Out With Legends" party in Vegas that the ex-Chargers superstar can't get too down on himself after he didn't make the cut for the HOF's '24 class on Thursday ... explaining that if he does, he'll allow the committee to "steal" from him twice.
Instead, he recommended Gates put this behind him quickly ... so when he ultimately gets his gold jacket, he can enjoy it.
Irvin, of course, would know a thing or two about the situation ... after all, it took him three years to finally get into Canton despite being one of the most prolific receivers of all time.
"I didn't get in on the first ballot," the former Dallas Cowboys receiver said. "But, I promise you I got in on the third ballot and when I got there, and I got to that podium, straight joy was waiting on me. It didn't even matter that I didn't go in on the first ballot, once I got there, I just saw joy."
Irvin tells us he's got plans to relay the message to Gates himself ... saying, "that's my guy."
Gates, meanwhile, has yet to comment on the snub ... although Bolts Nation is doing a lot of talk for him, furiously blasting the committee on social media ever since the decision went public.
Jim Harbaugh is back in the NFL -- the University of Michigan head football coach has reportedly accepted the same role with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Harbaugh is fresh off winning a national championship with his alma mater ... taking down the Washington Huskies earlier this month, 34-13.
This won't be the 60-year-old's first time leading NFL sidelines -- he also coached the San Francisco 49ers to a 44-22-1 record from 2011-14, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2012 against his brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens.
This is the fifth head coaching gig for the former NFL QB -- he also had stints at San Diego and Stanford before jumping to the pros the first time around.
It's another full-circle moment for Harbaugh -- he played for the then-San Diego Chargers from 1999-00.
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Harbaugh was expected to meet a second time with the Atlanta Falcons this week regarding their coaching vacancy ... but that interview was reportedly scrapped earlier Wednesday.
Un par de aficionadas de los Raiders se enfadaron tanto durante el partido contra los Chargers del domingo que llegaron a las manos. La salvaje pelea quedó grabada en video.
El altercado ocurrió en el Estadio SoFi, cuando una mujer en una camiseta de Maxx Crosby comenzó a decirle cosas a un fan de los Raiders que llevaba una pequeña camiseta negra sin mangas.
Se puede ver que las mujeres estaban discutiendo apasionadamente sobre algo hasta que la fan de Crosby llevó las cosas un paso más allá.
Primero, le quitó la bebida de la mano a la mujer antes de abofetearla y darle puñetazos en la cara repetidamente.
La mujer trató de defenderse, agarrando a la pelirroja del pelo, pero otra mujer se unió a la pelea y comenzó a lanzar puñetazos por su cuenta, apoyando a la agresiva fan de Crosby.
Al final, algunos aficionados de los Raiders intervinieron para separar a las combatientes. No está claro si alguien fue expulsado o arrestado por su papel en todo esto.
La pelea no fue la única dentro del recinto. Un fan de Howie Long también fue golpeado en la cara y empujado por las escaleras luego de comenzar una pelea con un seguidor de los Chargers.
Al final y pese a todo el caos, Los Raiders perdieron 24-17.
A pair of female Raiders fans got so mad at each other during their game against the Chargers on Sunday -- they tried to knock each other out ... and the wild fistfight was all captured on video.
The altercation happened at some point during Las Vegas' tilt with the Bolts at SoFi Stadium ... when a woman in a Maxx Crosby jersey started jawing with a Raiders supporter in a small black tank top.
You can see the two were passionately arguing over something ... before the Crosby fan escalated things into violence.
First, she knocked the woman's drink out of her hand, before slapping the lady in her face repeatedly. She then threw multiple punches that appeared to land flush.
The woman in the tank tried to fight back, grabbing hair ... but another woman jumped into the fray and started throwing punches of her own.
Ultimately, a few Raiders fans in the surrounding area hopped in to split the combatants up. It's unclear if anyone was ejected or arrested for their role in it all.
The fight was hardly the only one inside the venue Sunday ... a Howie Long fan was also decked in the face and then pushed down some stairs after getting into a spat with a Chargers supporter.
In the end, everyone in silver and black went home pretty unhappy no matter how many times they were socked at the game ... as the Raiders lost, 24-17.
A Washington Football Team fan unloaded on a fellow fan in the stands during the team's game against the Chargers on Sunday ... dropping haymaker after haymaker on the poor guy.
In footage of the melee, filmed by someone sitting near the violence, you can see a man in a Clinton Portis jersey began scrapping with another guy in a Sean Taylor uni.
Unclear what started the tilt ... but the man in the Portis jersey quickly got the upper hand -- and never let off the gas pedal until other fans finally intervened.
The clip shows the dude threw roughly 13 punches -- with many of them landing flush on the other man's face.
No word if anyone suffered injuries in the fight ... but we're betting at the very least, they're both pretty damn sore today.
As for the action on the field, the WFT ended up losing to L.A., 20-16 ... so, yeah, tough day all around for these guys.
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FYI, this was far from the only fight at an NFL game Sunday ... Rams and Bears fans also got into a wild brawl at SoFi Stadium during L.A.'s game against Chicago.
Antonio Gates says he's ALL about the possibility of Tom Brady coming to the Chargers -- telling TMZ Sports, "If he does, I'll be one of his biggest supporters."
"I heard that he might come out here and bless us with his presence," Gates told us on the way out of Bootsy Bellows nightclub in West Hollywood.
"... and if he does that, that would be a great sight to see in L.A."
Interesting comments from Gates who spent his entire career with the Bolts catching passes from Philip Rivers, who's about to become a free agent when the 2019 NFL season officially ends.
Don't get it twisted, Gates didn't say anything negative about Rivers -- but it's clear that Antonio wants his former team to jump on the chance to sign Brady if the opportunity presents itself.
"If [Brady] comes here, I'm gonna be a big fan."
Of course, Gates made headlines of his own this week when he announced his retirement from pro football after 16 seasons in the NFL.
Gates was an 8-time Pro-Bowl tight end, 5-time All Pro and owns the record for most career TDs for a tight end with 116.
What's more impressive ... Gates was an undrafted free agent out of Kent State, where he was a college basketball player. He didn't play a single snap of college football.
Now, he's destined for Canton ... but we had to ask Antonio what his next career move will be. Obviously, he's got a plan.
The sister of LA Chargers linebacker Tre'Von Johnson was arrested back in March after cops say she choked the NFL player in a fight over laundry ... TMZ Sports has learned.
According to police documents, Tre'Von and his sister, Tkeyah Johnson, got into a scrap when she wanted to wash her clothes at Tre'Von's Denton County, Texas home ... but he prevented her.
Cops say Tkeyah grabbed Tre'Von by his neck in a rage over not being allowed access to the washing machine ... and when he had trouble breathing -- he pushed her, causing her to fall to the floor.
Cops say marks were visible on Tre'Von ... and when they determined on the scene that Tkeyah was the primary aggressor in the altercation -- they arrested her.
Tkeyah was charged with domestic assault involving choking -- a felony in Texas -- and later posted bond.
Tre'Von has bounced around the NFL since signing with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent out of Weber State in 2017 ... playing for the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Chargers the past 2 years.
The 24-year-old -- who played in 4 games for the Chargers this past season -- has 3 career tackles.
Remember when Le'Veon Bell posted one of his new rap vids, asked people what they thought about it ... and Keenan Allen hit him back with the brutal "this ain't it" response??
Well ... here's Bell's chance to get revenge ... 'cause the L.A. Chargers star posted a video of himself dabbling in music -- singin' a Daniel Caesar song and playing the piano!!
The initial exchange between the 2 NFLers got personal -- with Bell calling Allen a troll, and KA claiming he was just keeping it real.
Now, Allen has posted a video in croonin' to the Caesar and H.E.R. hit, "Best Part" ... while playing the piano himself.
As for Allen's performance, it's not bad though he acknowledges he needs to keep working -- adding the caption, "Practice Makes Perfect."
Plus, that ain't an easy song to sing -- especially with the high notes -- but Allen didn't do a bad job.
Curious to see how Bell feels about the performance though ...
