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Colin Kaepernick's former 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh, is coming out STRONG in defense of his old QB -- saying Americans "must celebrate" him for his National Anthem protest.

Harbaugh -- who's now the head coach at Michigan -- authored the write-up for Kaep who was named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people.

In his piece, Harbaugh praises Colin as a great player and a courageous person -- and says the U.S. is "lucky" to have him as a citizen.

"Colin Kaepernick was alone in his early protests last year when he boldly and courageously confronted perceived inequalities in our social-justice system by refusing to stand for the national anthem," Harbaugh wrote.

"At times in our nation's history, we have been all too quick to judge and oppose our fellow Americans for exercising their First Amendment right to address things they believe unjust."

"Rather than besmirch their character, we must celebrate their act."

More trouble for boxing star Adrien Broner ... who was arrested in Kentucky early Thursday morning after Covington PD officers pulled over his white SUV, which had several bullet holes in it.

Broner was driving a white Chevy Suburban and trying to cross into Kentucky when officials noticed a warrant for his arrest stemming from a failure to appear in court for a previous arrest in 2014 for disorderly conduct and alcohol intoxication.

While taking Broner into custody, officers noticed several bullet holes in the SUV -- and Broner claimed he had been shot at by an unknown suspect after leaving a bar in Cincinnati earlier in the evening.

Broner says he was not hurt in the shooting and doesn't know why he was attacked. Cops say they did find evidence of a shooting at the alleged crime scene including several shell casings.

Officials tell TMZ Sports the vehicle is being turned over to the Cincinnati PD for further investigation.

Serena Williams' rep is finally confirming -- after an oddly long delay -- the tennis superstar and her fiance, Alexis Ohanian, are expecting their first child.

No shocker here ... our sources told us it was true when Serena posted the shot of herself with the caption, "20 weeks." Her rep just released this statement: "I'm happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this Fall."

Here's the thing ... it's been about 7 hours since Serena let the cat out of the bag on Snapchat.

Hell, she might be 21 weeks pregnant by now! In any event ... mazel tov.

Aaron Hernandez was found in his cell with a Bible verse written on his forehead in blood red ink ... this according to local reports.

When officials at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Massachusetts responded to Aaron's cell Wednesday morning, the verse John 3:16 was scribbled above his eyes, this according to WBZ Boston. The passage, of course, is key to Christianity: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Hernandez had written the verse on his forehead using a blood red marker, says FOX 25. His Bible in his cell was open to that verse.

Hernandez had a reputation for being a religious person during his college football career at Florida and would read the Bible with head coach Urban Meyer every morning at 7:30 AM.

There's more ... WBZ also cites sources who say there's evidence Hernandez smoked synthetic marijuana shortly before his death.

NBA superstar Isaiah Thomas says "the pain I am feeling right now is impossible to put into words" following his sister's fatal car crash.

Thomas' 22-year-old sister, Chyna, died Saturday in Tacoma, WA after her car violently slammed into a metal pole. Thomas -- who played in Game 1 and 2 of the Celtics' playoff series against the Bulls -- traveled home as the family prepares for the funeral and he's clearly grief-stricken.

He said, "I never could have imagined a day where my little sister, Chyna, wouldn't be here. She and my family are everything to me ... This has been without question the hardest week of my life."

Thomas went on to say he's overwhelmed by the love and support he's received from friends, fans, the City of Boston, the Celtics org and NBA community throughout.

2:15 PM PT -- O'Reilly released a statement thanking his fans, but added, "It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims. But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today."

Bill O'Reilly is officially out at Fox News Channel.

FNC's parent company -- 21st Century FOX -- released a statement saying, "After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O'Reilly have agreed that Bill O'Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel."

O'Reilly departs in the wake of numerous sexual harassment allegations by female co-workers ... the latest of which is a woman who anonymously said through her lawyer, Lisa Bloom, that O'Reilly would leer at her and call her "hot chocolate."

FOX News and O'Reilly already paid upwards of $13 mil in settlements involving sexual harassment claims against the talk show host.

Despite a mass exodus from at least 70 advertisers, O'Reilly's show remained the undisputed top cable news program. O'Reilly announced his current vacation on air and said he'd return April 24.

Seems Donald Trump isn't happy with Tom Brady -- because he didn't mention the QB's name ONCE at the White House ceremony honoring the New England Patriots.

Of course, Brady did not attend the ceremony, citing "personal family matters" -- shocking considering the two were supposedly friends.

Donald Trump has sung Brady's praises publicly on numerous occasions, saying he is the greatest QB who ever lived -- so for him to go radio silent during the ceremony sends a strong message ... he's pissed.

Serena Williams is 5 months pregnant, and even though she just announced it to the world ... she's barely showing.

She just posted a profile pic of herself in a one-piece swimsuit and captioned it, "20 weeks."

Sources connected to Serena tell us it's exactly what it looks like ... she IS pregnant, even though her reps aren't confirming yet.

Serena got engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian back in December. If ya do the math, it kinda adds up. Looks like they might be celebrating with a vacay.

Congrats to Serena and Alexis -- and also to every other female tennis player! Your chances of winning a tournament this year just went up.

Aaron Hernandez killed himself in his Massachusetts prison cell late Tuesday night using a bed sheet, this according to prison officials.

The 27-yr-old ex-NFL star had just been acquitted in a double murder case on Friday and his lawyer Jose Baez had told TMZ Sports he believed Hernandez had a real shot at getting a previous murder conviction overturned.

But Wednesday morning, officials at the maximum security Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Massachusetts found Aaron dead in his cell.

"Mr. Hernandez hanged himself utilizing a bed sheet that he attached to his cell window," a rep for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections said in a statement.

"Mr. Hernandez also attempted to block his door from the inside by jamming the door with various items."

Officials say Hernandez was discovered at 3:05 AM on Wednesday morning, and they tried to save his life. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:07 AM.

A prison official told local news there does not appear to be a suicide note at the scene.

Aaron is survived by his 4-year-old daughter.

FYI, the Souza-Baranowski CC is considered one of the most high tech maximum security prisons in the country with hundreds of security cameras installed all over the facility.

Officials say they're investigating -- we're guessing there will be TONS of security footage to go through.

Hernandez was serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd. He had also been on trial for killing Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado near a Boston nightclub in 2012 but was found not guilty of murder in that case.

12:50 PM PT -- Adidas issued its mea culpa, saying: "We are incredibly sorry. Clearly, there was no thought given to the insensitive email subject line we sent Tuesday. We deeply apologize for our mistake."

How did nobody screen this?!?!?

Adidas is under fire Tuesday after sending out a mass email with the subject line: "Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!"

C'mon people ... really?!

The email opened into an advertisement urging runners to buy Boston Marathon gear like shirts and jackets ... but people are pissed at the lack of sensitivity after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

Three people were killed and hundreds were injured in the attack.

So far, no comment from Adidas ... but someone has some serious 'splainin to do.

Steve Stephens, the Facebook killer, killed himself about 90 minutes outside Cleveland during a high speed chase with cops in Pennsylvania.

Police in Erie, PA say Stephens' body was found inside his white Ford Fusion around 11:10 AM ET on Tuesday. The police were in pursuit of Stephens at the time after they responded to a tip that Stephens' car had been spotted in a nearby McDonald's parking lot.

Cops say Stephens' car came to a stop in the middle of the road near a former elementary school, and then he took his own life. He died on scene.

Erie is the town where police said they'd last gotten a ping from Stephens' mobile phone.

A nationwide manhunt had been underway since Sunday, when Stephens shot and killed Robert Godwin Sr. ... and then uploaded video of the murder to Facebook.

Steve Stephens' victim was shot in a residential area, and several neighbors frantically called 911 to report the savage murder.

The 911 calls were just released and a man yelled, "He's not conscious. He's dead!" They also told the operator the victim was an older man. You can hear a crowd gathering around the crime scene as the operator tried to instruct the caller on how to stop the bleeding.

It's clear she didn't realize the shots were fatal.

Tips on Steve Stephens' whereabouts are rushing in to police by the hundreds, but they're begging the public for more as the manhunt stretches into day 3.

Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams -- with FBI, ATF and U.S. Marshals -- announced they've received almost 400 tips on the Facebook killer's location. They're getting them everywhere from Texas to Washington D.C. ... and much of the Northeast.

The Chief said one setback has been the fact Stephens' white Ford Fusion does not have GPS ... so they've been unable to get help from Ford tracking the vehicle.

Pacman Jones thinks he can strong-arm the media into ignoring all of his off-the-field drama -- and he just banned a reporter from locker room interviews for the season to prove his point.

The Cincinnati Bengals star -- who was kicked out of a casino and wished DEATH upon a police officer this off-season -- was asked how fans should feel about going into the 2017 season while taking questions in front of his locker.

Instead of addressing the COMPLETELY FAIR question, he barked back at the reporter -- told him to leave and said that was the LAST question that reporter would be able to ask him all season long.

And get this ... sources are telling TMZ Sports Jones confronted the reporter after cameras stopped rolling -- yelling at the guy two different times.

Police are going all out to locate Facebook killer Steve Stephens ... including offering a huge reward.

Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams just announced the $50,000 reward for any information leading to Stephens' arrest. The reward comes on the heels of police saying the manhunt now covers up to 5 states.

The ATF, FBI and Crimestoppers are all chipping in to cover the reward.

Chief Williams is still imploring Stephens to turn himself in ... or at least contact a friend or relative.

Steve Stephens, the alleged Facebook killer, is on the move and his cell phone might have given up his location to cops.

Stephens' phone pinged near Erie, PA ... according to a report, which would put him about 100 miles east of Cleveland. He's been charged with aggravated murder after killing 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sunday in Cleveland, and uploading video of the fatal shooting.

The manhunt's now expanded to 5 states -- Cleveland authorities say Stephens could still be in Ohio ... or on the run in Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana or Michigan.