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Seems Tom Brady and his old pal, Donald Trump, don't agree when it comes to Colin Kaepernick -- because the G.O.A.T. spent his Monday showing PUBLIC SUPPORT for Colin's new Nike deal.

Brady made his mark on Instagram -- where he "liked" four different posts featuring Colin's new Nike ad. The images were posted by LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and GQ -- all of whom were praising the deal on social media.

And, it's not a brand loyalty thing from Brady -- he's not a Nike athlete. TB12 actually has a deal with rival sports apparel brand Under Armour.

Of course, the bigger issue is Brady and Trump -- who used to be close (REALLY close) until their friendship suddenly went way south.

Remember, Brady even sported Trump's MAGA hat in his locker at one point. But, Tom's wife, Gisele, has been an outspoken critic of Trump since the election and it seems politics may have been the dividing factor for Tom and Donald.

Now, with Trump calling for the NFL to fire "sons of bitches" who don't stand for the national anthem -- a line has been drawn in the sand ... and it appears Tom has chosen his side.

John Rich -- one half of the country band Big & Rich -- is FURIOUS at Nike for the mega deal it made with Colin Kaepernick ... and says his sound guy is already planning on burning his Nike gear.

As we previously reported ... Nike signed Colin as part of its "Just Do It" 30th anniversary campaign -- a deal that includes a custom shoe, custom apparel and other Kaepernick-centric merchandise.

John Rich feels the deal is an insult to law enforcement -- and points to the incident where Kaepernick wore a pair of socks featuring a pig dressed up in a police uniform. "Hey @Nike, if you're gonna make the shoes, make the PIG SOCKS to match. Right? Cmon, people will LOVE that," Rich tweeted. He also wrote, the deal "makes me sick."

ICYMI ... Colin wore those socks during training camp in 2016 when he was the 49ers QB. He later clarified, "I wore these socks, in the past, because the rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments, not only put the community in danger, but also put the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust."

Kaep added, "I have two uncles and friends who are police officers and work to protect and serve ALL people. So before these socks, which were worn before I took my public stance, are used to distract from the real issues, I wanted to address this immediately."

In addition, Rich says the band's sound man "just cut the Nike swoosh off his socks. Former marine. Get ready @Nike multiply that by the millions."

On the other side, Colin is getting TONS of support from celebrities like Serena Williams, who posted "Love this." Other stars like T.I., Ava DuVernay and Swizz Beatz have expressed their support for Nike and Colin as well.

One thing's for sure ... this story ain't going away any time soon.

John McCain is finally getting his due respect from President Trump -- his body is being flown to Washington D.C. on an aircraft that had to be approved by POTUS.

The late Arizona senator's casket was loaded onto one of the jets known as Air Force 2 -- which is often designated for the VP or First Lady's travel. As you know, 45 will not be attending McCain's service in D.C. ... reportedly because McCain wanted it that way.

Still, Trump announced earlier this week he had greenlit military transport for McCain, saying, "At the request of the McCain family, I have also authorized military transportation of Senator McCain’s remains from Arizona to Washington, D.C., military pallbearers and band support, and a horse and caisson transport during the service at the United States Naval Academy."

Prior to the statement, Trump was being incredibly stubborn on publicly speaking about McCain's passing ... refusing to answer questions about the Senator, and even briefly returning the White House flag to full-staff. It was eventually lowered back to half-staff.

There was no love lost between Trump and McCain. Then-candidate Trump mocked McCain's military service, saying he was not a war hero because he'd been captured in Vietnam.

A memorial service was held for McCain Thursday in Arizona, where a lot of people spoke in remembrance of the political maverick ... including a teary-eyed Joe Biden. McCain will lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda Friday before another memorial service Saturday.

3:30PM PT -- Diaz released a statement addressing the case ...

"I'm grateful this case is finally over, I want to thank my team and my lawyer Ross Goodman for the excellent work. But most importantly, I want to thank the fans who stuck by me throughout this process. I'm happy to put this chapter of my life behind me and I'm looking forward to focusing on my return."

Nick Diaz is officially off the hook in his felony domestic violence case ... at least, according to the UFC star's attorney.

As we previously reported ... Diaz was arrested back in May after a woman claimed he slammed her to the ground and choked her in a Las Vegas home.

When cops arrived, officers say the woman had injuries -- she was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Diaz was facing 3 felony domestic violence charges and a misdemeanor -- serious business.

But now, Diaz's attorney Ross Goodman has told ESPN ... prosecutors have thrown out the case and Nick is in the clear.

"[Nick is] grateful the District Attorney's office was fair and thoughtful in reviewing this case based on the evidence," Goodman said to ESPN.

"Truth delayed is better than no truth at all and I trust that the ultimate dismissal of all charges with prejudice will be viewed as total vindication for Nick and clears his name from being associated with such horrific but false allegations."

We spoke with Nick after the incident -- and he joked that he was framed.

Larry Fitzgerald just gave an emotional speech in front of John McCain's friends and family at his memorial service ... detailing his unique friendship with the late senator.

The Arizona Cardinals superstar -- who grew close to McCain since he joined the NFL in 2004 -- says it was an unlikely pairing ... but that's what made it so special.

"Many people might wonder what a young, African-American kid from Minnesota and a highly-decorated Vietnam War hero-turned-United States senator might have in common ... Well, I thought of a few," Fitzgertald said in front of the huge crowd at North Phoenix Baptist Church on Thursday.

"I'm Black ... he was white. I'm young ... he wasn't so young."

"He lived with physical limitations brought on by war ... I'm a professional athlete."

"He ran for president ... I run out of bounds."

He was the epitome of toughness ... and I do everything I can to avoid contact."

"I have flowing locks and well ... he didn't"

Fitzgerald explains the odd pairing isn't really all that odd if you got to know McCain over the years ... "That's just who he is."

Peyton Manning says he really DIDN'T want to fire footballs at kids' faces during his famous 2007 "Saturday Night Live" skit -- but changed his mind when a parent begged him to peg his kid.

The sketch is pretty famous -- Peyton was spoofing his United Way ads by teaching kids how to get tattoos, steal cars and play real, hardcore park football.

But, a key part of the skit featured Peyton nailing kids in the face with footballs -- HARD -- and the QB says he was so nervous about tagging the youngsters, he almost quit the bit.

Peyton told the story at the 2018 Indianapolis Colts kickoff lunch on Wednesday -- saying he didn't feel comfortable with the scene at the time and told producers he wanted to shut it down.

But, right before they called it off, one of the parents of the child actors approached Peyton and the director and said, "I want him to hit my kid in the face!"

So, Peyton -- being a people pleaser -- said, "I will do it. I will knock your kid out."

And the rest is history ... hilarious, hilarious history.

Question: What would YOU do if your boyfriend just signed a $134 MILLION contract?!?!

Answer: POP BOTTLES LIKE A BOSS, SON!!!!

That's what Danica Patrick did Wednesday night -- after her man, Aaron Rodgers, inked the richest contract in NFL history.

Check out the custom bottle of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades champagne -- engraved with Aaron's name -- surrounded by yellow and green balloons, Green Bay Packers colors.

Danica commented, "Big day."

Yeah, she's right.

But, Danica ain't hurting for cash either ... she reportedly made around $13 MIL of her own in 2017, according to Forbes.

By the way ... these two have been an item for nearly a year -- with Danica rolling out to his games in Green Bay and Rodgers returning the favor at her races. Aaron even came to her defense after she got grilled for her ESPYs performance last month!!

Ben Simmons, DeMarcus Cousins and Giannis Antetokounmpo were just SOME of the massive NBA stars refusing to be scared away from a video game event in NYC ... in the wake of the Florida tragedy.

The NBA stars -- along with rapper Travis Scott -- hit up the NBA 2K19 launch event at the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in NYC on Wednesday night ... partying the night away while gaming it up.

The party went down less than a week after a disturbed gamer opened fire at a Madden tournament in Jacksonville, killing 2 people and injuring 11 more.

Several tournaments have either been canceled or postponed since the shooting -- but the NBA 2K19 event decided to move forward as planned.

It's a good thing too -- everyone seemed to have a great time without incident.

Just another reminder ... video games are supposed to be fun.

Before Mychal Kendricks was charged with insider trading, he sold out his ex-Philadelphia Eagles teammates to the Browns ... giving a full scouting report on the guys he played with last year.

It was all captured on HBO's "Hard Knocks" -- when defensive coordinator asked the linebacker to come up with a list of weaknesses he learned about his teammates during his time in Philly.

Kendricks didn't even hesitate -- putting together a Eagles cheat sheet like a double agent ... and then presented all of his info during a team meeting before they clashed in last week's preseason game.

Here's the info ...

"Uh, let's start with Nick Foles. Playing with Nick Foles, I realized on his long balls, his deep balls, he has like a teardrop effect. He's tall and he likes to drop that literally from the sky. So corners, and the timing's just a little slower on that ball coming in."

"86 [Zach Ertz], I think, is the best receiver on the team. Notice I said 'receiver.' When it comes to blocking, you f*cking hit his ass over and over, he doesn't want any smoke."

"Big V, Vaitai. He's so big that his size allows him to do what he does. You see, but he doesn't have the quickest feet and he's not the strongest. He doesn't trust his feet at all. You get on him, his confidence will go down."

Look, we get it ... sometimes teams will bring in players for their knowledge about their former team -- but this one felt especially snitchy.

Victor Cruz doesn't seem to be bored in his new life after football -- the recently retired NFL star spent his Wednesday night having a fancy dinner with Drake!

Cruz hung up his cleats after 6 seasons with the NY Giants -- in which he racked up 4,549 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. Not a bad stint.

Cruz reportedly made close to $30 million in contract money during his career.

After he made his retirement official last week, Cruz signed a deal with ESPN to be an NFL analyst.

Fast forward to Wednesday night ... and Cruz was leaving Nobu in New York with the 6 God.

Life is good!

By the way, when he's not hanging with world-famous rap stars, Cruz is dating Karrueche Tran.

Cynthia Nixon and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held nothing back in a nasty debate for the Democratic seat in the state's race for governor.

Nixon and Cuomo squared off Wednesday night -- at Hofstra University -- in the only debate scheduled before New York's Democratic primary September 13. Two topics in particular got the two trading jabs ... immigration and public transportation.

At one point, Gov. Cuomo flat-out yelled at the former "Sex and The City" star, asking her to stop interrupting. However, the shining jab came from Nixon who dished an insult calling Cuomo a liar.

Nixon announced her candidacy back in March on a platform that's focused on public transport and immigration.

A hacker who exposed nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and other celebs is the one getting nailed now ... by the judge who sentenced him to 8 months in federal prison.

George Garofano illegally hacked the private Apple iCloud accounts of Lawrence, paving the way for nude photos and private info to leak all over the Internet. In addition to his prison time, the judge also hit Garofano with 3 years supervised release once he gets out.

The 26-year-old pled guilty in April and admitted he'd posed as a member of Apple's online security to access usernames and passwords.

Garofano was one of four people charged in the massive celeb hacking scandal, which began in 2014 and saw photos published online claiming to show Jennifer, Kate Upton, Ariana Grande, Kirsten Dunst and others.

Louis C.K. did NOT tread lightly in his first stand-up gig since admitting his sexual misconduct, because he reportedly cracked a joke about rape whistles.

Remember, C.K. copped to dropping his pants and masturbating in front of women ... and even coercing them into keeping silent about it. So, at least 2 female audience members at the Comedy Cellar in NYC were shocked to hear him start a bit about the phrase "clean as a whistle."

The women told Vulture C.K. worked up to a joke about rape whistles NOT being clean, and they say it was very well received -- "people were laughing, and I was just sitting there like, oh my f**k."

They were uncomfortable and depressed that C.K.'s joke had killed ... especially considering the things he's admitted doing.

John McCain's casket has arrived at the Arizona State Capitol where family, friends and the public are paying their final respects to the late Senator.

The Arizona Army National Guard carried McCain's casket into the Capitol Museum rotunda Wednesday morning for a private ceremony for family and colleagues ... including remarks by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

During the ceremony, McCain's family was front and center honoring the somber occasion. McCain's wife, Cindy, and daughter, Meghan, were both very emotional at the sight of the casket.

The viewing will open to the public in the afternoon. McCain is the third person to lie in the rotunda in the last 40 years ... State Senator Marilyn Jarrett and Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens were the others.

There will be a procession Thursday morning that will weave through Phoenix before making its way to a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church.

McCain died shortly after his decision to stop medical treatment after a year-long battle with brain cancer.

Ex-Ohio State football coach Zach Smith is furious -- claiming allegations he beat his wife are wrong and he's threatening to sue the reporter who broke open the story, Brett McMurphy.

"Silence = over," Smith tweeted Wednesday ... the beginning of an angry rant directed at reporters and his ex-wife, Courtney Smith.

Smith claims McMurphy's reports about him are not only wrong -- but claims some of the images he's posted or reported on have been photoshopped.

"I am waiting for one thing that is accurate beyond a name change or photoshop session. I will see you in court you clown."

Smith also lays out his version of the "facts" -- saying:

"1. My kids are suffering because of all of this (most important)
2. I never beat my wife
3. OSU botched the investigation and worse off the 'punishment.'
4. They forced [Urban Meyer] into his statement, I hope at least... because he knows what’s real and would have never apologized.
5. President Drake is either the cause of the joke of an 'investigation' or 'punishment' or he allowed it."

Smith added, "It is very hard to be silent when falsehoods & half-truths are said about you and there is no way to defend yourself. I’ve made mistakes in my life but being a domestic abuser is not one of them! I’ll answer every question in court and under oath when the time comes & cant WAIT!"

Smith also posted a photo of his two young kids claiming they're the ones hurting the most from the scandal.

As we've previously reported, Smith was fired in July after allegedly violating a restraining order requiring him to stay away from his ex-wife.

It has since come out that Courtney called police on Zach several times over the years alleging domestic violence but he was never formally charged with a crime.

Zach has previously denied abusing Courtney, but acknowledged that things had gotten physical during heated disputes.

There's still mystery surrounding the death of Bethenny Frankel's boyfriend, Dennis Shields, because an autopsy was NOT performed.

The Chief Medical Examiner of NYC says there was a religious objection to the autopsy, so it was not performed -- and the cause and manner of death has been ruled undetermined.

We're told in New York, a religious objection can prevent an autopsy as long as police don't suspect a crime had been committed.

TMZ broke the story ... Dennis was found dead earlier this month in Trump Tower from an apparent oxycodone OD. Dennis took an unknown quantity of oxycodone Rx pills, law enforcement sources say, and the following morning he asked his housekeeper to fetch Narcan, which blocks the effects of an opioid overdose.

It's unknown when Dennis lost consciousness, but at some point the maid called 911. As we reported, the maid administered the Narcan but Dennis remained unresponsive. EMTs rushed to Trump Tower but it was too late.

Bethenny was extremely emotional during a final goodbye to Dennis. He was buried Aug. 13.