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'Guardians of the Galaxy' director James Gunn was done dirty by America's politically charged court of public opinion ... according to Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana and the rest of the 'GotG' stars.

The cast posted an open letter in support of Gunn, who Disney fired from the franchise in response to old tweets where he made several highly inappropriate jokes. In the letter they vouch for his character, accept his apology and hint Disney only canned him because it feared public backlash.

They wrote, "There is little due process in the court of public opinion. Given the growing political divide in this country, it's safe to say instances like this will continue." They went on to urge Americans to "ease up on the character assassinations and stop weaponizing mob mentality."

Trae Young bought a new car ... and as the NBA's newest star -- he spared no expense on the whip -- dropping over $138k on it!!

The Atlanta Hawks' top draft pick showed off the ride -- an Audi R8 -- over the weekend ... as it arrived to pick him up from the airport with his folks.

"My First Purchased Car for myself is here!!!" Trae wrote on social media. "My parents Surprised me with it. #Blessed!!"

It's matte black ... and with all the bells and whistles on it -- it could have cost him over $200,000.

Not that the price tag worries the 19-year-old ... the #5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft just signed a contract with the Hawks that guarantees $11.6 MILLION over the first 2 years.

Baker Mayfield opened up about why he hates his former Texas Tech coach, Kliff Kingsbury, so much -- essentially saying the guy kicked him to the curb when he got injured during a game.

The QB pulled no punches in his new FOX Sports docu-series, 'All The Way Up' -- saying Kliff treated him like a god when he stepped in and won 5 games as a freshman walk-on back in 2013.

But, when Baker sprained his MCL against Kansas -- Mayfield says everything changed.

"It went from being 'the guy' for Coach Kingsbury ... and then when I got hurt, it just changed a little bit ... not a little bit, a lot."

"All the sudden it was as if I hadn't played for him, hadn't done anything for him. It was just different after I got hurt."

Baker's father says the coach "completely withdrew his contact" with the QB after the injury -- "He didn't talk to Baker. He didn't include Baker in the meetings."

But, Mayfield says what REALLY pissed him off was when Texas Tech officials told him they didn't have a scholarship for him after that season ... despite the fact he was 5-0 as a starter.

"I've invested a lot into this and now you're telling me you don't have a scholarship for a guy who won 5 games after choosing to come here? That was the final straw for me."

Dennis Rodman went nuclear on Bruce Willis at the Comedy Central roast -- and he used his friend, Kim Jong-un, as a punchline.

Everyone knows how seriously Rodman has taken his relationship with the North Korean dictator over the years -- but, when Dennis took the stage, he targeted Bruce with a bomb joke.

"Bruce, you keep making these f*cking bombs. Well, guess what ... so does Kim Jong-un. But at least Kim is smart enough not to release his."

It wasn't the only time Rodman referenced his dealings with North Korea -- he also told Martha Stewart the next time she gets locked up, he can help secure her release.

Dennis also dropped some penis, vagina and stripper jokes ... and praised Ed Norton for banging Salma Hayek.

Who's a good boy?!? Lionel Messi's dog, apparently.

The 31-year-old soccer superstar played a little keep-away from his furry friend in his yard Monday ... and it's all fun and cute -- until you realize the dog could end him at any time.

Hulk (appropriately named) is a Dogue de Bordeaux ... and weighs well over 100 pounds. If you're unfamiliar, Messi is pocket-sized, standing at 5'7" and weighing just 159 lbs.

So, neat tricks, Lionel ... but all of Argentina would probably be happier with a nice game of fetch.

Jerry Jones' biggest star is going to bat for the Dallas Cowboys owner and his new hardline stance on the national anthem kneeling ... with Dak Prescott saying the anthem ain't the time or place to protest.

The QB addressed reporters at Cowboys camp Friday and said he's fine with Jerry's new rule that forces players to stand ... 'cause it's something he's always believed in himself.

"I never protest during the anthem and I don’t think that’s the time or venue to do so," Dak said.

"The game of football has always brought me such at peace and I think it does the same for a lot of people playing the game, watching the game and a lot of people that have any impact of the game."

"So, when you bring such a controversy to the stadium, to the field, to the game … it takes away. It takes away from the joy and to the love that football brings a lot of people."

Don't get it twisted ... Dak says he's all for fighting the battle against social injustices in America -- he's just ready to take a different step than kneeling during the anthem.

Alan O'Neill died from drinking too much and from the injuries he suffered in a nasty fall.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office confirms the "Sons of Anarchy" actor died of chronic alcohol overconsumption. According to the Coroner's report ... other significant factors in his death include blunt force head trauma and heart disease.

The Coroner's Office tells TMZ ... O'Neill had fallen at home while drunk. The death has been ruled an accident.

We broke the story ... O'Neill's girlfriend found his body when she went to his home on June 6.

The Irish-born actor had been working steadily in Hollywood since the '90s. Most notably, he played Hugh on seasons 6 and 7 of "Sons of Anarchy," ... as well as Keith McGrath in "Fair City."

His cause of death was first reported by People.

Brewers pitcher Josh Hader got BOOED for several minutes in his first road game since his racist and homophobic tweets from seven years ago surfaced.

Hader took the long walk from the bullpen to the mound Thursday night in San Francisco ... and Giants fans greeted him with a loud round of jeers.

Remember ... Josh had to apologize after his old tweets that included "I hate gay people," "White power" and "KKK" were dug up last week.

Milwaukee fans were forgiving ... treating him to a standing O in his return to the Brew Crew's ball park last Saturday.

Jerry Jones officially laid the hammer down on the Cowboys' national anthem stance Thursday ... telling reporters, "Our policy is that you stand at the anthem, toe on the line."

Guess who was thrilled to hear that??

"Way to go Jerry," Donald Trump tweeted early Friday morning ... "This is what the league should do!"

The Cowboys owner wasn't the only one going bold on the issue this week ... with Jerry's son and Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones implying the Cowboys could CUT players if they don't follow the orders.

"When you're wearing the Dallas Cowboy uniform and a Dallas Cowboy helmet and you're working for the Dallas Cowboys, you check the 'I' and the 'me' at the door, and you're a part of a team," Stephen says.

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra are reportedly engaged.

Nick popped the question a week ago ... the day coinciding with Priyanka's 36th birthday, according to People.

The mag says Nick got a Tiffany's store in NYC to shut down so he could buy the engagement ring on the DL.

Here's the thing ... as far as we can tell they've only been dating a little over 2 months.

They were seen together a while ago ... last year they posed at the Met Gala, but they said they were just friends. That seems to be the case, because Nick was dating other women after that. Remember back in March when Nick helped a woman who fell off a bike in Australia and was seen making out with her later that night. We later learned the 2 had been dating.

It seems something's in the air. TMZ broke the story Justin Bieber popped the question to Hailey Baldwin after just a month of dating. And Nick's older brother, Joe, got engaged to "Game of Thrones" star Sophie Turner last October.

Congrats!

Colombian narcotics officer Sombra -- a decorated German Shepherd -- is on the run after one of the most powerful drug cartels put a $70k bounty on her furry head.

According to reports, the Urabeños drug gang, Colombia's most feared criminal organization, put the hit on Sombra after the 6-year-old pooch recently sniffed out nearly 10 TONS of cocaine in 2 separate busts. Who's a good doggie??

Sombra (Shadow in English) had been working Colombia's port cities, but officials have moved her beat to the Bogota airport because it's outside the Urabeños turf. Translation: She's on desk duty, for her own safety.

The gang is known for taking out hits on its enemies, but usually in the hundreds of dollars.

Cardi B's baby is her number one priority right now, and because of that ... she's canceling her Bruno Mars' tour gig this fall.

Cardi just made the announcement, saying she thought 6 weeks would be enough time for her to recover mentally and physically after giving birth to her baby girl ... but she "underestimated this whole mommy thing."

She adds she thought she'd be able to bring Kulture on tour, but doctors told her it's not healthy for her baby to be on the road ... and she's not ready to leave her behind.

Cardi says it's been the hardest decision to make, but thanked Bruno for his support and understanding.

Bruno replied to Cardi with a heartfelt message, saying, "You are absolutely doing the right thing," adding, "We love you Cardi and we will play Bodak Yellow every night in your honor."

LeSean McCoy says he's "very confident" he'll be suited up and ready to play for the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 of the regular season ... while the NFL investigates the violent robbery involving his ex-GF.

The RB faced the media at Bills training camp on Thursday -- where he was asked about the July 10 incident in which Delicia Cordon was violently robbed at gunpoint.

"Right now, it's an open investigation. I'll leave it at that," McCoy said ... "I'll let that take care of itself."

As we previously reported, Cordon was hospitalized after a masked man allegedly broke into her home, pistol whipped her and stole a bunch of jewelry.

After the incident, Cordon lawyered up and strongly insinuated McCoy had a role in the robbery. McCoy has adamantly denied all wrongdoing.

The founder of Papa John's is feeling burned by his former company ... and he's demanding some answers from the pizza giant's board of directors.

John Schnatter filed a lawsuit in Delaware Thursday to get Papa John's to disclose all documents related to its response to him using the n-word. Schnatter wants to see the docs, "because of the unexplained and heavy-handed way in which the company has treated him since the publication of a story that falsely accused him of using a racial slur."

In the suit, Schnatter says it's impossible the board took an appropriate amount of time to make informed decisions ... which included terminating certain business agreements.

As we reported ... he resigned as chairman of Papa John's International, and also left the University of Louisville's Board of Trustees, after he was called out for using the n-word on a conference call in May. Schnatter insists reports falsely characterized the way he used the word.

LeBron James says he regrets naming his 14-year-old son LeBron James Jr. -- because he's concerned about all of the pressure that comes with it.

The NBA superstar was opening up about his family to Jon Stewart, Snoop Dogg, Odell Beckham Jr. and Maverick Carter in his new HBO series, 'The Shop.'

While James was talking about how much fun he's having watching his kids play youth basketball -- Stewart asked, "How do you give them a piece of mind that they don't have to be you?"

That's when James explained his regret when it comes to naming his kid -- but said it was an overreaction from not having a father while he was growing up.

James said he always swore that he would be the dad he didn't have -- and naming his kid "Jr." -- was the first step.

No, this is not a picture from last season ...

LeBron James and Kevin Love were in the gym together Thursday morning -- smiling like two guys who don't hate each other's guts.

Of course, Bron just ditched Kev and the Cavs for L.A. -- and according to multiple reports, he didn't even text Love before going public with his decision.

And, don't forget ... LBJ and Love's 4 years in Cleveland together weren't exactly drama free -- remember Bron admitted he called out Kevin on Twitter a few years ago?

But, that's all water under the bridge ... because Kevin posted this reunion pic in a Vegas gym ... and captioned it, "Thursday morning work."