Oakland Raiders

Tim Brown says he REALLY hopes his beloved Oakland Raiders chose wisely by taking a chance on Gareon Conley ... saying, "If it goes bad for him, it's gonna go bad for the Raiders also."

The Raiders raised some eyebrows Thursday night by selecting Conley in the 1st round -- despite the fact he's in the middle of a rape investigation.

Conley insists he's innocent and the Raiders clearly believe him ... and Brown says he's "hoping and praying" the team made the right bet.

Brown raised an interesting point ... saying former Raiders owner Al Davis was never afraid to take guys who were in trouble because he felt those guys would end up being the most loyal to him.

Marshawn Lynch is going full BEAST MODE in his return to the Bay Area ... throwing a HUGE block party in Oakland on Thursday with big stars, new teammates and thousands of crazy fans!

We're told the guest list includes names like Michael B. Jordan, E-40 and Derek Carr -- not too shabby!

The party will take over 3 city blocks surrounding Marshawn's Beast Mode Apparel store near downtown. As one source put it, "It's gonna be bonkers!"

That's not all ... our sources say some of the Golden State Warriors are also expected to join in on the fun.

Just win, baby!

While Marshawn Lynch to the Oakland Raiders rumors circulated the Internet, Beast Mode was helping his old Seahawks teammates host a football camp in Haiti!!

Marshawn is reportedly a physical exam from joining the Silver and Black ... and as the 'Hawks and Raiders work out a deal, he and Michael Bennett helped Cliff Avril host his annual camp.

The NFL stars taught kids fitness skills, helped build houses in the area, donated supplies to a local school and many other charitable efforts.

The boys spent the week in Haiti ... and now Marshawn is headed back to the States to get checked out by the Raiders.

A legendary Raiders superfan wants Marshawn Lynch in silver & black ... so much that he's making a personal plea to Beast Mode to beast out in his hometown.

Violator (aka Wayne Mabry) -- a member of the infamous Raiders Black Hole since 1970 -- says having Lynch will definitely "scare the hell outta some people" and that's of course a good thing.

BTW -- If you're not familiar with the Black Hole we suggest you google them, but keep all the lights on while you do ... cause you're gonna see pictures of maniacs like the one below (which is Wayne).

How do NFL players feel about Marshawn Lynch possibly coming back to the league? If Jaguars star Marcedes Lewis' reaction is any indication they are freakin' STOKED!

We got Lewis out at Warwick in L.A. and asked his thoughts on Marshawn's rumored return -- it's been reported he met with the Raiders recently -- and he made it clear ... he's all for it.

In fact, Lewis says he thinks Lynch could play for just about any NFL team he wants, and thinks it's actually a better league with Beast Mode pushing that rock down the field.

Marshawn Lynch already has some strong allies on the Oakland Raiders -- including the team's best lineman, Donald Penn, who tells TMZ Sports he's all about bringing Beast Mode to the squad.

"I hope the Raiders do get Marshawn," Penn told us Tuesday night in L.A. ... "That's my dog!"

NFL Hall of Famer Tim Brown is completely confident the Raiders will be able to keep their players out of trouble ... despite the team's relocation to Las Vegas.

Brown -- who was initially worried about the move -- admits he's changed his mind and now thinks the team will control their personnel ... even if it means camping outside their homes!!

As for the 180 -- Brown says he realized the guys have the money to get in trouble wherever they are ... and Vegas is no different.

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis says he's already had talks with team officials about the dangers of Sin City and plans to work with players to keep them out of trouble in their new home.

Moments after the Raiders got team owner approval to move from Oakland to Vegas, Mark spoke with reporters, including FOX 11's Liz Habib ... and was asked about Brandon Marshall's concerns with an NFL team in Vegas.

The NY Giants WR previously told TMZ Sports the idea of young guys with lots of money in Vegas sounds like a bad idea.

Davis says he's talked about it with other Raiders honchos and said, "There are things that we'll be doing" to help protect his guys.

Davis was also asked if his legendary father, Al Davis, liked Las Vegas and why -- his answer is pretty funny.

Ex-Raiders star Lincoln Kennedy says bringing Marshawn Lynch to Oakland is a bad idea.

Kennedy was a 3-time Pro Bowler with the Silver and Black -- and he's currently a broadcaster for the Raiders organization.

Lincoln says he likes and respects what Lynch has done in his career -- but says Beast Mode is an "Over the hill running back who hasn't played in a couple years."

Tim Brown says he still believes Aldon Smith can be one of the most dominant football players in the NFL -- but he needs serious help from his family, teammates and friends to get his life straight.

Smith has been battling substance abuse for years -- and was recently detained by police for being intoxicated after a car he was a passenger in slammed into an undercover cop car.

Brown says he and his old Raiders teammates used to hold intervention-style meetings with players like Smith in the hopes of getting them back on the straight and narrow ... and suggests more people in Smith's life follow suit.

Bottom line -- Brown wants to see Smith back in the Silver and Black ... but only if he can get healthy.

We recently spoke with Smith's Raiders teammate, Donald Penn, who says he also wants Smith back with the squad because football can be good for his recovery.

Oakland Raiders star lineman Donald Penn says the best thing for Aldon Smith is to be around his teammates -- so they can serve as a support system for the guy as he battles substance abuse.

Penn says he truly believes his teammate is a "good guy" and wants the best for him -- despite the bizarre situation involving Smith and the police in San Francisco this week.

As we previously reported, Smith -- who's serving a suspension for a previous violation of the league's substance abuse policy -- was detained for public intoxication after a car he was a passenger in crashed into a cop car.

It's obvious Penn cares about Smith ... and believes the structure and camaraderie a pro team can provide will be best for the former All-Pro.

Aldon Smith insists he did nothing wrong -- was not detained -- and was only inside a San Francisco jail to visit a friend who was locked up inside.

As Smith left an S.F. jail following a car crash in which he was allegedly a passenger, he told a pack of reporters that he was doing great .... "nothing happened."

"I had to go handle something and talk to somebody" Smith said ... "I was talking to a friend who is locked up in there. That’s what I went to go do. If I did something I’d be in jail right now. Like I didn’t do anything."

He added, "So we need to, if you guys want to talk about me, let’s make these stories a little bit better. Let’s put me in a better spotlight and stop making me seem like I’m some badass criminal."

"Because that’s not who I am. I’m a good person. I’ve never done anything, I’ve never hurt anybody. I’m not that type of person. Let’s start replacing these stories. That’s your story alright? Get out of my face now please."

As we previously reported, Smith was detained for public intoxication early Thursday morning after a car he was a passenger in smashed into a cop car.

More trouble for Aldon Smith ... who was detained by police in San Francisco around 8 AM Thursday after a car he was riding in smashed into a cop car and the officer says Smith was drunk at the time.

The troubled Oakland Raiders star was NOT driving the car at the time of the crash, however cops did arrest the driver for DUI.

The bigger issue for Smith ... the alcohol allegations.

The 27-year-old has struggled with substance abuse and is currently serving an NFL suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

According to reports, he's still in the league's substance abuse program -- we're making calls to figure out his status.

Oakland Raiders star Aldon Smith is being investigated for what we're told is a domestic incident ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources tell us cops in San Francisco were called early Saturday morning and responded to a home in the city. Smith owns a house in San Francisco.

Police interviewed Smith and the alleged victim and took a report. The case is under "active investigation."

Smith has not been arrested.

An arrest would be catastrophic for Smith's career -- he's currently suspended by the NFL for multiple violations of the league's substance abuse policy.

Smith was expected to be reinstated in March, on the assumption he stayed out of trouble. An arrest could undo his prospects.

Smith has had several run-ins with police since he was drafted by the 49ers back in 2011.

Smith showed extreme potential when he was on the field -- he was the NFC Defensive Player of the Year back in 2012.

Raiders punter Marquette King should suit up for the Magic while he's in Orlando for the Pro Bowl ... 'cause the dude's got range!

Check out this video of King punting a football into a basketball hoop from 20 yards out!!

How do the Oakland Raiders players feel about the possible (likely) move to Vegas?

They're stoked about the FORTUNE they'll save on state income tax!!

We spoke with Raiders linebacker Malcom Smith (the MVP of Super Bowl XLVIII) who says a bunch of players are already talking about financial implications of a move to Nevada.

FYI, California has the highest state income tax ... Nevada has the lowest!

Plus, as Smith points out ... cost of living is WAYYYY cheaper in Vegas than in the Bay Area.