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Seems the ice has thawed between Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Donald Trump -- because Kraft just praised POTUS on live TV ... and thanked him for his support of the team in the Super Bowl.

Kraft appeared on "Fox & Friends" early Friday morning where was asked how he felt about Trump sending a congratulatory tweet to the Patriots following their big win in the AFC Championship game.

"We can use every fan who wants to support us from wherever they are in their standard of life," Kraft said.

When asked if he's spoken with Trump -- or gotten advice from the President -- Kraft continued to throw nice words Trump's way.

"I have a lot of people who give me advice and he's been very supportive and I know he's working very hard to serve the best interest of the country."

It's interesting considering the relationship between Kraft and Trump has been rocky over the past few years.

The two were VERY close for years but then clashed in April over Trump's handling of the Colin Kaepernick kneeling situation.

Remember, Trump called for NFL owners to fire any "son of a bitch" who doesn't stand for the anthem.

Kraft called Trump's statements "divisive" and "horrible."

But, it seems it's all water under the bridge now.

Makes us wonder if Trump is also repairing his relationship with Tom Brady -- who he was also very close with.

However, Gisele has become a very outspoken critic of Trump ever since he took office and Tom and Trump have seemingly had a falling out.

But now, with Trump publicly supporting Brady again ... it'll be interesting to see if Tom returns the love.

President Trump has been keeping up on the news about the Jussie Smollett attack, and says it's horrible.

The President spoke Thursday morning from the Oval Office and when a reporter asked him about the "Empire" star's case, he replied, "That I can tell you is horrible. I've seen it ... last night. It doesn't get worse, as far as I'm concerned."

It was a pretty brief response ... he didn't elaborate on any details of the case.

Remember, Jussie says his attackers yelled, "MAGA country" as they fled after beating him, pouring bleach on him and putting a rope around his neck.

Unfortunately, Trump was not asked specifically about the MAGA remark.

Julian Edelman was SO impressed with the way a 7th-grader handled being bullied by her classmates ... he straight-up gave her 2 tickets to this weekend's Super Bowl!!!

Dejah Rondeau is a badass 13-year-old who just so happens to play quarterback for her New Hampshire school's football team.

Problem was ... some of her classmates had an issue with a girl being their signal-caller -- and her parents say she was bullied over it.

"Some people don’t want to accept a female quarterback. She’ll have to put in 110 percent when others are putting in 50," Dejah's mother told Seacoastonline.com.

But, Dejah overcame it all ... and managed to thrive for her team -- and that caught Edelman's eye.

The Patriots and their star WR invited her to the team's facility last week for being so brave in the face of adversity ... and gave her TWO tickets to see them play the Rams on Sunday!!!

"My respect level for you is just through the roof because you just ignored all the noise and you played the game we all love -- and that’s football," Edelman told the girl.

Dejah's reaction??

"That was crazy! I never knew -- I never thought that would ever happen. I was just really excited to go!"

Artie Lange is back in custody ... and his latest mug shot is very sad and disturbing.

The comedian was in court Wednesday in Essex County, New Jersey. We're told he was taken into custody after his hearing after testing positive for cocaine and morphine.

Law enforcement sources say the mark under Lange's nose is a scab that started to bleed.

The same day he was sent back to jail, someone managing Artie's Twitter account announced he would be undergoing a long term treatment program, adding ... "He loves and respects his fans... updates coming soon.. and it’s time."

We broke the story ... Lange pled guilty to heroin possession at the end of 2017 and went to an inpatient drug rehab program after he got out of jail. He was later sentenced to 4 years probation.

The judge also ordered him to complete an outpatient drug program and complete 50 hours of community service.

Lange's latest bust will likely result in a probation violation ... so he's looking at more tough times ahead.

Originally Published -- 10:22 AM PT

11:46 AM PT -- Artie's attorney, Frank Arleo, tells TMZ Artie was "taken into custody so that the Drug Court could re-evaluate him and recommend a course of treatment. Once that is done, he will be released. Artie is committed to getting better."

Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird appeared in court Wednesday to face new charges that he threatened to murder his GF multiple times during a violent altercation back in September.

As we previously reported ... Bird allegedly brutalized his GF at his Massachusetts apartment during a Sept. 7 incident -- allegedly choking and terrorizing her for hours.

Officials say Jabari roughed her up badly ... and she was only able to escape after Bird appeared to be having "seizure-like" symptoms during the end of the attack.

Jabari was arrested for assault and battery, strangulation and kidnapping ... and later pled not guilty to the charges in court.

On Wednesday, prosecutors tacked on TWO additional charges -- threats and witness intimidation -- alleging in court docs Bird told his GF he was going to MURDER her during the altercation.

"If you don’t stop talking I’m going to kill you," the victim alleges Bird said, according to court docs.

She added that Jabari also said while kicking her, “Tell anyone about this, I don’t care where you are, I’ll find you and I’ll kill you."

Bird appeared in Brighton Municipal Court Wednesday to face the new charges ... and once again pled not guilty.

Jabari is due back in court next month.

For his part ... Jabari released a statement shortly after the September incident saying, "I'm taking some time away from the team as I deal with my legal and medical issues. I apologize to my family, the Celtics organization, my teammates, the fans and the NBA for the unnecessary distraction that I have caused."

Kacy Clemens -- son of MLB legend Roger Clemens -- says bouncers at a Houston bar beat him so badly during a New Year's Eve event, they may have destroyed his pro baseball career.

Clemens and his pal, Conner Capel, have sued the Concrete Cowboy in Texas -- claiming they were just hanging out when bouncers singled them out and ordered them to move out of a spot in the bar while they were trying to order their first drink of the night.

Both men are minor league baseball players -- Kacy is a 1st baseman in the Blue Jays organization and Conner is an outfielder with the Cardinals organization.

The guys claim they complied with the bouncers' orders -- but the hired muscle manhandled them anyway, eventually beating them so ferociously they sustained serious damage to their faces and bodies.

In fact, Conner says he suffered a fractured skull -- and took photos of the bloody aftermath.

A lawyer for the alleged victims has suggested Kacy may have injured his throwing arm in the incident. He also claims Conner will have to see a neurologist for at least 5 years.

According to the lawsuit, cops showed up at the bar that night and determined neither Kacy nor Conner were intoxicated. One of the bouncers was arrested for assault.

9:21 PM PT -- According to local reporter Rob Elgas, Smollett was seen on surveillance camera walking on the opposite side of the street from the two persons of interest. Elgas claims both Smollett and the unidentified people then walk off camera (on different cameras). Smollett is unaccounted for on camera for about 60 seconds. He then reappears on surveillance entering a condo building with what appears to be street salt on his sweater and the rope around his neck. Jussie arrives at a friend's place where police arrive to take a report.

We've confirmed with law enforcement sources that Smollett refused to turn his cell phone over to authorities after telling them he was on the phone with his manager during the incident.

5:43 PM PT -- Chicago PD just released this screengrab from the surveillance video but, as you can see, it's virtually impossible to make out a single feature of the "persons of interest."

Cops say the two people in the image were walking on New Street near the intersection with E. Illinois Street between 1:30 AM and 1:45 AM. They're about a block from the Subway restaurant Jussie had gone to Tuesday morning ... and roughly halfway between the restaurant and Jussie's home.

Our law enforcement sources tell us detectives have scoured camera footage in the area and, to this point, haven't seen any sign of the alleged attack or Jussie's assailants.

Cops say they want to speak to the persons of interest to determine if they witnessed or were involved in the incident. As you can see from this image ... they've got their work cut out for them.

Cops investigating the Jussie Smollett attack say they finally have a lead from surveillance video ... but they're gonna need the public's help to locate multiple persons of interest.

Chicago PD says detectives were able to find a camera angle that revealed "persons of interest wanted for questioning" in the assault and battery of the "Empire" star. Cops are careful not to call the people suspects in the case.

Police say they'll be releasing images of the persons of interest shortly.

We broke the story ... Jussie says two men in ski masks jumped him, beat him up, doused him with bleach and left a rope around his neck before fleeing. He says they yelled, "MAGA country" as they got away.

We've confirmed Jussie's manager Brandon Z. Moore told police he was on the phone with Jussie during the alleged attack. Brandon says he told cops he clearly heard the MAGA comment as well as the racial and homophobic slurs.

We know the attack happened somewhere near Jussie's residence in Chicago, and that police were reviewing cameras -- city-owned and from privately owned buildings in the area.

Originally Published 3:11 PM PT

Colin Kaepernick's attorney just went off on NFL Commish Roger Goodell -- claiming his explanation that teams just don't think Colin can help them win is the biggest crock he's ever heard.

And, Kap's lawyer is using Mark Sanchez to make his point.

Mark Geragos appeared on "Today" Thursday and was asked about the comments Goodell made at his State of the NFL Address this week ... when Goodell said Kap's unemployment status is based on football, not politics.

"Anybody who believes that will believe that Mark Sanchez was a better choice," Geragos said ... noting several other QBs who are "well past their prime" were also signed this season.

Geragos also asked why NFL teams did NOT give Kap a workout in 2018 -- "Why didn't anybody ever bring him in and see where his skills were at? I think the whole thing is basically a ruse."

Geragos believes Goodell's statement will help Kap's collusion case against the NFL -- saying, "The collusion actually was the NFL kowtowing to [President Trump]."

He also says ... "There isn't anybody who's got a couple of neurons firing that wouldn't say this is collusive activity."

For the record, Mark Sanchez was signed by the Washington Redskisn at the end of the NFL season after starting QB Alex Smith went down with an injury.

Sen. Rand Paul was just awarded over a half a mil, 'cause he won his lawsuit against his neighbor who beat him up ... and came up big in damages.

The Kentucky U.S. senator was awarded $580k in total damages and medical expenses Wednesday by a jury of his peers out in Bowling Green. The jury reportedly deliberated for about two hours before reaching their decision. Here's the breakdown:

-- $375,000 in punitive damages

-- $200,000 for pain and suffering

-- $7,834 for medical expenses

As we reported ... Sen. Paul sued his neighbor, Rene Boucher, last summer after the 2017 attack. Paul said Boucher tackled him from behind during a heated argument that stemmed from landscaping beef. Boucher was pissed Paul kept leaving debris on his property.

Sen. Paul suffered 6 broken ribs from the attack. Boucher had already pled guilty in a criminal case and served 30 days in jail.

Jerry Rice is flexin' HARD in Atlanta -- rocking all 3 of his Super Bowl rings ... plus his Hall of Fame ring!!!

The 56-year-old NFL legend flossed his hardware on the plane to ATL -- just another classic Rice humblebrag.

Of course, Rice and the 49ers won Super Bowl 23, 24 and 29 ... with Jerry being named MVP of 23 with some insane receiving stats -- 11 catches for 215 yards and a TD.

Super Bowl week is funny when it comes to former NFL stars -- who often bust out their accolades to show off to other players and fans.

Jerry has been on a self-PR push lately -- remember, over the summer he went onstage with Charles Barkley at a charity event in Lake Tahoe and told the crowd, "I'm the f*cking best football player of all time."

He might be right.

Rice was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and is widely regarded as the best WR ever.

Doesn't seem Tom Brady's got too many nerves heading into his NINTH Super Bowl ... 'cause the G.O.A.T. was nothing but smiles at Patriots practice Wednesday!!!

New England hit the field at Georgia Tech for the first time since landing in Atlanta earlier this week ... and Tom was as cool as ever during the workout.

In fact ... the 41-year-old seemed downright giddy -- laughing and smiling throughout the practice.

Begs the question ... what is he so thrilled about just a few days before yet another pivotal game in his 19-year career??

Perhaps it's that Rob Gronkowski was healthy and on the field practicing ... or maybe he's just that confident about a victory over the Rams????

Roger Goodell was just asked -- twice -- why he thinks Colin Kaepernick is not on an NFL roster ... and he pointed the finger at NFL teams who don't believe the QB can help them win games.

In other words, Goodell says it's about football -- not politics.

Goodell was addressing the media live from Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta -- in a crowd packed with reporters from all over the world and even a few NFL owners (ATL's Arthur Blank and NE's Robert Kraft).

When the subject of Kaepernick came up ... it was clear Roger had his answers ready -- hammering the same main talking point ... that roster decisions are made by individual teams looking to win games.

"Our clubs are the ones that make decisions on players that they wanna have on their roster," Goodell said.

"They make that individually. They make that in the best interests of their team."

He added, "They all want to win ... and they're all gonna do whatever they can to win."

When a second reporter pushed Goodell on the issue he reiterated his points.

"I think if a team decides that Colin Kaepernick or any other player can help their team win, that's what they'll do."

"They want to win and they make those decisions individually in the best interests of their club."

Goodell is clearly pushing the individuality of decision-making, because Colin is suing the NFL for collusion -- claiming NFL owners and key officials conspired to keep him out of the league because of his kneeling demonstration during the national anthem.

The thing that makes the least amount of sense ... is that guys like Nathan Peterman and other sub-par quarterbacks are getting multiple workouts and opportunities with NFL clubs while Colin is not.

Besides taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl back in 2013 -- Kaepernick has thrown for 72 TDs and only 30 INTs in his pro career.

Conor McGregor claims he landed the last -- and most brutal shot -- during the UFC 229 brawl back in October ... hitting Khabib's blood relative square in the jaw.

And, he claims 2 photos tell the real story.

After the first ring attacker (in a red shirt) climbed into the Octagon and cracked Conor in the face multiple times from behind -- another man attacked McGregor from the front.

"He attempted to use the big security guard that’s in all the movies as cover," Conor said ... "but I could smell him a mile away and landed flush down the pipe."

McGregor added, "It was not my intention to land the final blow of the night on my opponent’s blood relative. It’s just how it played out."

We got video of the post-fight attack ... it's hard to see if Conor lands as hard of a shot as he claims.

Here's another angle where you can see Conor fire the left.

As we previously reported, both Conor and Khabib were just hit with 6-month suspensions for the melee. Conor was fined $50k. Khabib was fined $500k.

Conor commented about the punishment -- explaining, "I am thankful for the Nevada athletic commissions fair assessment and handling of the brawl incident."

Charles Dion McDowell -- better known as Wide Neck -- is back behind bars after a judge revoked his bond ... TMZ has learned.

The viral sensation was arrested in Pensacola, FL Tuesday ... but isn't facing any new charges. Instead, his bond was revoked in a previous case. We're not sure why the judge made this call at this point, but it looks like Neck will have to sit in a cell 'til it gets sorted out.

McDowell's been arrested a few times the past few months, but he blew up on social media thanks to a mug shot featuring his massive neck when he was busted in Florida in early November. During that arrest, he was booked for eluding, possession of cocaine, meth and marijuana.

He was arrested again a week later in Lee County, Alabama for allegedly eluding law enforcement, reckless driving, driving with a revoked license, improper lane usage and a 2nd-degree possession of marijuana charge. And yes, there was another necky mug shot.

Maroon 5 will NOT be taking questions from the media about their Super Bowl halftime show -- the NFL just announced the pre-show press conference is officially OFF.

The halftime show press conference has been a tradition for YEARS -- Justin Timberlake held one last year, Gaga before that ... Prince famously busted out his guitar and rocked out at his back in 2007.

So, why scrap the presser? The NFL says Maroon 5 and the other artists like Travis Scott want to "let their show do the talking" -- but it seems pretty obvious it's all about Kaepernick.

There's been a strong push from big stars like Common and Nick Cannon for the halftime show performers to pull out over the way the league has treated Kap.

Other stars like Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kelly Rowland have said they wouldn't work with the NFL in the wake of Kaepernick's allegations he's been blackballed for taking a knee during the national anthem.

SportsBusiness Journal's Daniel Kaplan says the presser had been on the official schedule of events -- and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport essentially confirmed by saying the presser was "canceled."

The NFL issued a statement saying ... "Maroon 5 has been working hard on a Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show that will meet and exceed the standards of this event."

"As it is about music, the artists will let their show do the talking as they prepare to take the stage this Sunday."

Instead of hosting a press conference, the NFL says the artists and the league will participate in a "social and digital media rollout" to promote the show.

Move over Ari Emanuel (he's a big agent), LeBron James is coming for your job ... 'cause now Hollywood star Octavia Spencer is crediting Bron with getting her equal pay on a new Netflix series.

Spencer -- an Academy Award-winning actress -- worked with LeBron on a biopic about Madam C.J. Walker (America's first black self-made millionaire) and spoke at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association panel at Sundance about how instrumental James was in helping her get fair pay.

"I have to say, when I was negotiating my deal for ‘Madam C.J.,’ LeBron James had to intervene."

Spencer has been incredibly vocal in the fight for equal pay for women in Hollywood, banding together with huge actresses like Jessica Chastain to demand their dollars, but Octavia told the press in Park City it has to be a group effort.

"We need all our male counterparts to be in the fight with us.”