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Ben Roethlisberger says he will NOT join Team Trump -- at least, not publicly ... despite Donald's insistence that the NFL quarterback is "with us 100 percent."

While at a rally in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Trump said Roethlisberger was among a number of sports stars who supported his campaign and hoped #7 would join him at the Republican National Convention in July.

But Big Ben says it ain't gonna happen ... telling Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he will neither endorse nor speak on behalf of Trump because "politics are not his thing."

Show me the trophy!!!!

That's Cuba Gooding Jr. in the Pittsburgh Penguins locker room Sunday night ... leading the victory celebration after the team clinched the Stanley Cup!

Question is ... what the hell was Cuba doing there???

No one seemed to mind -- in fact, it looked like the players got a kick out of Cuba belting out a shouting rendition of "We Are The Champions."

Seriously, we have no idea why he was there -- but who cares ... CUBA!!!!

Hillary Clinton's not taking any s*** from Donald Trump ... at least not on Twitter.

The presumptive Democratic nominee clapped back hard at Trump after he took a swipe at her and President Obama. In the wake of the Prez officially endorsing Hillary ... the Donald tweeted and referred to her as "Crooked Hillary."

Hillary fired back 3 words -- "Delete your account." If SHE actually came up with that reply, we'd say ... mic drop.

The next 5 months will be entertaining.

We told you it was in the works ... but now, it's official -- Aaron Hernandez has hired Casey Anthony's lawyer, Jose Baez, to represent him in his double murder case.

The ex-NFL star and convicted murderer met with Baez at his Massachusetts prison earlier this week -- and, moments ago, Baez announced Hernandez has made the move to retain Baez's firm.

"I can now confirm that my firm has been retained to represent Mr. Aaron Hernandez in his upcoming trial," Baez said in a statement.

"Mr. Hernandez strongly maintains his innocence, and I plan to establish that before a jury of his peers."

Besides being convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd in 2013, the former New England Patriots tight end is also accused of killing two men in a drive by shooting in 2012.

Ed Sheeran's hit song "Photograph" is a total rip-off ... according to a new lawsuit filed by two songwriters.

According to legal docs, Sheeran's "Photograph" blatantly copied huge chunks from the song "Amazing," written by Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard for 'X Factor' season 7 winner Matt Cardle.

Interesting to note ... the songwriters hired the same attorneys that won a $7.4 million judgment against Robin Thicke and Pharrell's "Blurred Lines."

They're suing for copyright infringement and seeking more than $20 million in damages.

We reached out to Sheeran for a comment ... so far no word back.

Amber Heard's friend who was on the phone the night Johnny Depp allegedly attacked -- says she witnessed firsthand the effects of multiple other attacks ... and had to stop the pattern of violence.

Artist iO Tillett Wright says, "I called 911 because she never would. Because every time it happened, her first thought was about protecting him." She claims Depp repeatedly apologized for other violent incidents and repeatedly swore to "never to do it again."

In a blog post, she writes about an alleged attack in December where Amber woke up with her pillow covered in blood. Wright says, "I know this because I went to their house. I saw the pillow with my own eyes. I saw the busted lip and the clumps of hair on the floor."

She describes Johnny as a dear friend and "brother" who'd helped her through dark times -- but says she needed to call him out after what she heard the night of May 21.

"I was on the phone with both of them and heard it drop, heard him say, 'What if I pulled your hair back?' and her scream for my help, I wondered like so many times before if I should break the code of silence that surrounds celebrities and invite the police into the situation."

Ultimately, Wright says, "I had to stand up for my friend."

Richard Simmons is blasting a news report claiming the fitness guru is transitioning into a woman.

Simmons' rep called the story in the National Enquirer "absolute madness and not true."

The Enquirer claims Simmons has received breast implants and hormone treatments over the last 2 years and is becoming a woman. The report claims he's now "a softly spoken woman named Fiona."

Simmons went into virtual seclusion almost 3 years ago, shutting out friends and family. He claimed he wanted a break from the spotlight and was struggling with a bum knee.

TMZ broke the story ... Richard was hospitalized Friday night and stayed at Cedars in L.A. until Monday.

We got this pic of him sporting a beard in the backseat.

Maria Sharapova was just hit with a TWO YEAR BAN by the International Tennis Federation for doping ... but she claims it's "unfair" and vows to appeal.

The ITF just issued a statement saying Sharapova's urine tested positive for meldonium -- a metabolic modulator that's prohibited in the sport.

The ITF says it cut Sharapova a break when it comes to the punishment because she "promptly admitted" to the offense. Instead of starting the 2-year ban today, they will backdate the suspension to January 26 -- the date of the sample collection.

The ITF also ruled that her results at the 2016 Australian Open should be disqualified -- and she must forfeit her ranking points and prize money that she won at that event.

For her part, Sharapova says she did NOT intentionally use the substance -- and wants her fans to know she should not be considered a cheater.

"The ITF spent tremendous amounts of time and resources trying to prove I intentionally violated the anti-doping rules and the tribunal concluded I did not," Sharapova said in a statement.

"You need to know that the ITF asked the tribunal to suspend me for four years – the required suspension for an intentional violation -- and the tribunal rejected the ITF’s position."

Sharapova says she will fight the decision -- "I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension ... I will immediately appeal the suspension."

"I intend to stand for what I believe is right and that’s why I will fight to be back on the tennis court as soon as possible."

Ex-NBA player and current Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Sean Rooks has died ... the team announced in a statement.

The 46-year-old -- who starred at the University of Arizona -- played 12 seasons in the NBA ... including stints with the Lakers, Mavericks and Timberwolves.

Our sources tell us ... it appears Rooks may have had a heart attack during dinner.

Rooks' mother issued a statement saying, "It is with deep sadness and overwhelming grief that we mourn the sudden loss of my son, Sean."

"Our family asks that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this incredibly difficult time."

Cops say they can't find a shred of evidence that proves OKC Thunder co-owner was trying to kill himself when he slammed his SUV into a concrete bridge back in March ... despite a 2 month investigation.

Aubrey McClendon had been charged with conspiracy hours before the crash for his alleged role in an illegal energy scheme ... and many people thought he took his own life out of shame.

But the Oklahoma City Police Dept. says a team of detectives and accident experts looked into the crash ... and spoke with a bunch of McClendon's friends and say there's nothing that points to suicide.

Now, cops also say they can't be 100% certain ... but at this point, they're convinced he didn't crash on purpose.

The coroner determined McClendon died from blunt force trauma -- but his body was so badly burned in the fire that ensued, they needed to bring in a dentist to identify his body.

Kimbo Slice was told he had been suffering from congestive heart failure in the days before his death and desperately needed a heart transplant ... this according to a hospital report.

The report -- which was given to the Broward County Medical Examiner's office -- says Slice was admitted to Northwest Medical Center on June 3rd and told he had a liver mass and congestive heart failure.

Doctors told Slice's family that he needed a heart transplant -- and appeared to be taking measures to transport him to a clinic in Cleveland on Monday night ... but he died before that could happen.

Slice was pronounced dead around 7:30 PM local time.

Also worth noting ... the report also states 42-year-old Slice did not have a history of drug use.

The Denver Broncos hit up the White House moments ago ... and President Obama wasted no time doing his best Peyton Manning -- dropping a few "Omahas" for the squad.

The clip's pretty funny ... Obama roasts everyone from Von Miller to kicker Brandon McManus ... and jokes that he might be able to play WR for the Broncos.

Hugh Hefner has sold the Playboy Mansion ... and turns out it's to the guy next door.

Hef's neighbor, Daren Metropoulos, is in escrow to purchase the property. No one's saying how much it's going for ... but we're told it's north of $100 mil.

Hef put his famed Holmby Hills estate on the market in January with a hefty $200 million price tag. The buyer also had to agree to let him live there for the rest of his life.

Daren, whose father is billionaire C. Dean Metropoulos, bought the property next door back in 2009 for $18 mil. We're told he's a huge fan of the neighborhood and intends on keeping the exterior of Hef's home the way it is now. The inside is super dated, and it will almost certainly be gutted and restored.

Daren's family used to own Pabst Brewing Company. He's a big L.A. party guy, so it's not hard to read between the lines ... the allure of the mansion and the parties will go on.

The mother of the little boy who got into Harambe the gorilla's enclosure will NOT face criminal charges.

Hamilton County prosecutor, Joe Deters, announced Monday morning that Michelle Gregg was not negligent when her 3-year-old boy strayed at the Cincinnati Zoo. He pointed out she had 3 other children with her and based on surveillance cameras and witnesses ... she was attentive.

Deters said quite simply "kids can scamper off and they do." He added, if Gregg had been "in the bathroom smoking crack that would have been a different story, but that's not what happened."

After zoo officials killed Harambe to save the boy ... many blamed Gregg and clamored for her to face criminal charges, but Deters said, "There's nothing that the mother could have done."

He also supported the zoo's "painful choice," saying Harambe was a beautiful animal ... "but it's still an animal. It does not equate to human life."

Thanks to WCPO for the footage.

Muhammad Ali has died in a Phoenix-area hospital where he was battling respiratory issues ... according to a family spokesman.

The legendary boxer and humanitarian was 74 years old. He had checked into the hospital on Thursday and reps said he was in fair condition, but on Friday his health worsened throughout the day.

The family says his funeral will be held in Ali's hometown of Louisville, although the spokesman didn't specify a date. NBC News first reported his death.

Ali will be remembered as one of the most recognized figures worldwide -- after winning boxing's heavyweight title 3 different times ... with the first coming in a KO of Sonny Liston in 1964.

He was as famous for his boxing matches -- the "Rumble in the Jungle," the "Thrilla in Manila" -- as quotes like, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

Ali, born Cassius Clay, changed his name and converted to Islam in 1964. He also famously refused to enter the Vietnam War in 1967 as a conscientious objector.

Although he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1984 ... Ali remained very active at international events in and out of the sporting world. His lighting of the Olympic flame at the 1996 Atlanta games is considered one of the most iconic images in Olympic history.

The champ is survived by his wife Yolanda Williams and 9 children -- 7 daughters, 2 sons -- including Laila Ali, who became an undefeated boxing champ herself.

When he retired in 1981, Ali had 56 wins, 5 losses and 37 knockouts.

He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 ... and will always hold the title of "The Greatest."

Mark Salling pled not guilty to 2 child porn charges, and was released on bail ... but ordered to keep away from places where children congregate.

The judge's order says the former "Glee" star has to stay at least 100 feet away from schools, parks, arcades and many other places of that sort. He was set free after posting $150,000 bail -- $100k of which he put up himself.