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Air Force's beloved falcon mascot, Aurora, took her last flight on Wednesday ... the school announced the iconic bird has died. She was 23.

Aurora -- a rare white phase gyrfalcon -- played a huge role at Air Force sporting events over the years and was touted as "an ambassador for all falcons."

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Aurora passed away earlier today," the Academy said in a statement. "Aurora was the Academy’s longest-serving live mascot. In her 23 years at USAFA, she interacted with tens of thousands of people at sporting venues and military and community events."

USAFA credits Aurora for "helping us educate the public on the importance of these majestic birds."

Social media can make careers ... and it can also kill them -- and Nick Young thinks Instagram is partly to blame for Carmelo Anthony's unemployment status.

Tons of huge NBA stars have questioned why 35-year-old Melo hasn't signed with an NBA team since his short run with the Houston Rockets last season.

In fact, Dwyane Wade told us just yesterday Melo can still play at a high level and should be back in the league.

Swaggy P agrees ... saying Melo "still has a lot of basketball left in him" -- but suggests the real reason he's without a squad is because of the 'gram.

"I think it got a lot to do with Instagram ... how he's being treated. Every time he shoots the ball its a meme. It's kinda funny, but it kinda messed him up."

Antonio Brown was a childish, foul-mouthed monster during his deposition for his condo-trashing case last week ... this according to new court docs filed by the opposing lawyer.

As we previously reported, Brown appeared at a Miami office building on Sept. 24 to be questioned as part of a lawsuit in which he's accused of going berserk at his luxury condo, causing thousands of dollars in damage, but never paying the bill.

But, attorneys for the complex -- The Mansions at Acqualina -- say once AB sat down for the depo, things quickly spiraled out of control.

"Antonio Brown was extremely noncompliant and flagrantly disorderly, to the point that he frustrated the totality of the proceeding."

Oh, it gets worse ... the attorney claims Brown's deposition was filled with "tumultuous tirades, defiant rants, use of profane language and refusal to comport himself in a civilized and grown-up manner."

Kim Shattuck -- the lead singer and bassist for The Muffs -- is dead after a two-year battle with ALS.

Kim's husband shared the sad news Wednesday in a social media tribute to his late wife ... saying, "This morning the love of my life Kim passed peacefully in her sleep after a two year struggle with ALS."

Her husband continued ... "I am the man I am today because of her. She will live with all of us through her music, our shared memories and in her fierce creative spirit. I love you always my Kimmy. Thank you for sharing your life with me."

Ex-Dallas cop Amber Guyger just got 10 years in prison -- on the heels of her conviction for murdering her neighbor, Botham Jean ... whose brother created a shocking moment in court.

The sentencing went down Wednesday in Dallas and while there were cheers when it was announced ... the most stunning event came earlier when Brandt Jean gave his victim's impact statement. He spoke directly to Guyger and told her to go to God and ask for forgiveness. He got choked up as he asked the judge if he could hug Guyger.

The judge said yes, and then they tearfully embraced for nearly a minute. You could hear people crying in court.

Brandt said he never wanted to tell his family he's personally forgiven Guyger.

Botham's family members burst into tears after her 10-year sentence was announced, and it appears even Judge Tammy Kemp -- who is black -- was moved by Brandt's statement. After the hearing, she also embraced Guyger.

Would you give up your FAVORITE food in the world to lose 15 pounds?!?

NY Knicks rising star Dennis Smith Jr. did ... revealing the key to his Summer weight loss was cutting out the fried deliciousness from his favorite fast food spot on the planet, Bojangles!!!

For those who aren't familiar with the chicken 'n’ biscuit chain, it's HUGE in southeastern states like North Carolina (where Smith Jr. is from). Cam Newton's raved about it too!!!

So, when the 21-year-old showed up to training camp looking slimmer and trimmer than usual ... the media pressed him to reveal his weight-loss secret.

"Yeah, I had to change some of the things I ate," Smith Jr. said, "I’m a country boy, man. We eat DIFFERENT down there."

"I ain’t eat Bojangles for most of the summer ... it helped!"

Of course, Smith says he also ate a bunch of green stuff like kale and spinach ... but it SUCKS compared to Bojangles.

Smith says he feels lighter and stronger and thinks the weight loss will help him better endure the long NBA season. He's probably right.

Also worth noting ... there are NO Bojangles franchises in New York -- so he's out of the danger zone during home games.

But, NY plays on the road in Charlotte, D.C. and Atlanta ... where there are a TON!!!

A Korean Tour golf star was so pissed when he heard a fan snap a cell phone pic during his backswing, he flipped the guy off ... and now the golfer just got hit with a 3-YEAR BAN!!!

Kim Bi-o -- an ex-PGA Tour golfer and the current money leader on the Korean Tour -- snapped on a fan on the 16th hole at the DGB Financial Group Volvik Daegu Gyeongbuk Open on Sunday when he heard the phone make a shutter sound effect during his swing.

Everyone knows that's a big no-no -- golfers HATE noise when they're on the tee box.

So, after 29-year-old Kim heard the camera click ... he wheeled around and shot the fan the bird right in front of EVERYBODY!!!

Kim -- who still went on to win the tournament -- apologized for the gesture afterward ... but clearly, officials felt that wasn't enough.

The Korea Professional Golfers' Association announced Tuesday they were hitting Kim with a THREE-YEAR SUSPENSION for the incident, saying, "Kim Bi-o damaged the dignity of a golfer with etiquette violation and inappropriate behaviour."

The KPGA also announced it was fining Kim the equivalent of $8,350.

The golfer didn't take the news lightly ... he got down on his knees in front of Korean media on Tuesday and apologized for his actions once again.

Philadelphia Sixers baller Mike Scott says his brawl with Eagles fans kickstarted over a slur ... and while he regrets getting physical, he has no sympathy for the guy.

Scott spoke about the incident at Sixers Media Day on Monday ... admitting he shouldn't have fought, but makes it clear the fans at Lincoln Financial Field started it.

“I definitely should've walked away before it got to that point," Scott told the media. "I’m a professional, you know, I gotta be the bigger person, but once you keep going ... he was poppin’ hella sh*t, he was going off.”

Initially, there were rumors that Scott went off because he thought a coffin at the game was to mock late Redskins star Sean Taylor (the fans claim it wasn't). Scott didn't get into specifics on the slur that sparked the fight ... but it clearly pissed him off.

“He was talking crazy. He took it to the next level so I had to see if he matched that energy ... and y'all saw what happened.”

When asked if he felt bad for the way he acted, Scott stands by his fists.

“Sympathy for him? I don’t feel any for those individuals ... yeah, what a day,” he laughed.

Amazing gesture from Astros superstar Carlos Correa ... the shortstop visited the family of murdered Houston police officer Sandeep Dhaliwal on Monday -- and donated $10,000.

Dhaliwal was killed last Friday in broad daylight after a man shot him in the back of the head during a routine traffic stop ... and Correa was hit hard by the news.

42-year-old Dhaliwal had famously helped citizens in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the community in 2017 ... so Carlos -- a Puerto Rican native -- wanted to reach out.

The 'Stros stud was able to meet with the Dhaliwal's family Monday afternoon ... and, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, it was the first time he had seen the family smile since the tragedy.

"Can't thank him enough," Gonzalez said of Correa to Fox 26's Mark Berman ... "Amazing what he does for the Houston community."

Correa also donated $10k to Dhaliwal's family ... and said of the situation, "A lot of people in Puerto Rico suffered the tragedy of Hurricane Maria. And, for him to go out of his way and help people that he didn't even know, it really touched me."

Correa added, "We're very grateful for everything he did -- me, my family, the whole country of Puerto Rico. It's an unfortunate situation, but I wanted to come show my respects and my appreciation for the family and be able to help them in some way."

Oakland Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict's vicious hit on Jack Doyle has landed him a season-ending suspension ... the league announced on Monday.

Burfict -- who has a history of dirty plays -- was ejected from Sunday's game after hitting the Colts player with a helmet-to-helmet tackle.

The NFL handed down the severe punishment on Monday ... with VP of football operations saying in a letter to Burfict straight-up, “There were no mitigating circumstances on this play."

"Your contact was unnecessary, flagrant and should have been avoided. For your actions, you were penalized and disqualified from the game.”

The suspension is an NFL record for one violent play. Burfict has been suspended multiple times as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, which also contributed to the punishment.

“Following each of your previous rule violations, you were warned by me and each of the jointly-appointed appeal officers that future violations would result in escalated accountability measures. However, you have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designated to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk.”

“Your extensive history of rules violations is factored into this decision regarding accountability measures.”

Metallica frontman James Hetfield is going back to rehab ... and as a result, the rock band is canceling a tour through Australia and New Zealand.

It's unclear what prompted the lead singer and rhythm guitarist to re-enter a treatment program ... but James' relapse is serious enough that he's going back to rehab for the first time since December 2001.

Metallica says they are postponing their upcoming tour down under.

A Friday statement from the band says ... "We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must postpone our upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand. As most of you probably know, our brother James has been struggling with addiction on and off for many years. He has now, unfortunately, had to re-enter a treatment program to work on his recovery again."

An Alaska Airlines passenger flying coach was arrested by federal authorities after he went nuclear because he was blocked from using the first-class bathroom.

The man wearing a Jets jersey was on a flight Thursday from JFK to LAX, when he got super frustrated over the long line for a coach head.

He ranted, "By making 7 people wait here to use the bathroom while the whole bathroom up there is empty, it's wrong."

The pilot got on the horn and tried to cajole the passenger -- who was decked out in a Jets jersey and matching hat -- to sit down ... to no avail. That's when the man allegedly threatens to kill the pilot and others onboard.

The plane made an emergency landing in Kansas City and passengers cheered as the guy was removed from the plane and taken into custody.

Antonio Brown ain't playing in the NFL ... but he's trash-talking like he still is -- the WR is going after Eric Weddle on Twitter, calling the L.A. Ram a "dummy" and a "jabroni."

Brown's been active on social media Thursday ... and one of his tweets, in particular, sparked a feud that involved Weddle AND New York Giants receiver Golden Tate.

Here's the deal ... AB tweeted "The game need me I'm like test answers." Tate responded, "What???"

Weddle jumped into the conversation, writing, "Def dont." Weddle also wrote to a fan who said he couldn't guard AB, "Dont need to. Isnt on a team."

AB saw the shade ... and immediately clapped back, writing, "U need some attention lil man glad I put that stuff arm in your neck in pittsburgh u deserved it Lil Weedle."

Weddle fired back ... saying, "When are u gonna learn that it isnt about you. Never was and never will be. Got a game to get ready for. Good luck my guy!"

Of course, Brown didn't let it stop there ... 'cause he told the safety, "Bro I don’t even know you don’t call me AB that’s my NFL name dummy ! I’m not on your team never been shut your mouth Jabroni."

Melvin Gordon is BACK ... well, almost.

The L.A. Chargers superstar running back will end his holdout and return to the team on Thursday ... but will NOT play this weekend against the Dolphins.

Gordon has been holding out since July while he demanded the team either give him a new contract or to trade him to another team.

The holdout is officially coming to end 3 weeks into the season ... with Ian Rapoport reporting Gordon is rejoining his team.

We spoke with Chargers legend Antonio Gates on Tuesday about Gordon's status with the team ... and he said his old teammate deserves to be paid like Ezekiel Elliott, who just agreed to a $90 million extension with the Cowboys.

No word on whether that'll happen -- Gordon's in the final year of his rookie deal, making $5,605,000.

Antonio Brown is NOT done with the NFL -- despite what he said on social media ... this according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who says he's been in talks with multiple teams.

"I have had discussions with a few teams that are very interested in him and want to know about his future and what's going on with the NFL," Rosenhaus said on Warren Sapp's '99 Problems' podcast.

"Hopefully, when that is all resolved, Antonio will be able to continue his Hall of Fame career."

Rosenhaus did not mention any of the interested teams by name.

Of course, Brown swore off the NFL on Sunday morning ... just days after he was cut by the New England Patriots.

"Will not be playing in the @NFL anymore these owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime we will see if the @NFLPA hold them accountable sad they can just void guarantees anytime going on 40m 2 months will see if they pay up!"

Kyle Long ain't shying away from the fact that thousands of people just saw his junk ... in fact, the Bears offensive lineman is actually joking about the whole ordeal!!!

After Chicago beat up the Washington Redskins on Monday night, Long's penis was accidentally exposed while teammate Tarik Cohen live streamed from the locker room on Instagram. Oops!!!

Cohen took down the vid just minutes after realizing he accidentally exposed Long's man junk, but the damage had already been done -- Long was trending on social media.

But, Kyle is taking the whole incident in stride ... he appeared on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" -- and he and the 'PMT' guys slyly and hilariously joked about it.

Some of the highlights from Long ...

"The D was out in numbers."

"You would think with my large stature there'd be more, like, jumbo packages."

"I had heard about a cold front coming in, and I guess I just wasn't prepared for it, man. Because it hit me hard right at the end of the game."