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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.

Odin Lloyd's mom is going forward with her wrongful death lawsuit against Aaron Hernandez ... even though her case may have just gotten much more difficult.

As we previously reported, Aaron's death complicates things because his conviction in Lloyd's 2013 murder will essentially be wiped out thanks to an obscure Massachusetts law.

The conviction would have made Lloyd's case a slam dunk -- but now, with the conviction gone, Lloyd's estate will have to independently prove Hernandez was responsible for Odin's death.

We spoke with attorney Douglas Sheff, who represents Lloyd's mother -- and he says they're still laser-focused on continuing the lawsuit against Hernandez.

Sheff says they strongly believe they will win -- with or without the conviction on record.

Rashad Jennings was overdue for a favor from Liberty University, which is why Jerry Falwell Jr. flew his folks out to see him perform on "Dancing with the Stars."

We spoke to the Liberty U Prez and his wife, Becki, who gave us the play-by-play on how Rashad's family was able to get out to L.A. to see their son perform last week.

Sounds like Rashad wasn't asking them for the plane, but lucked out when the Falwells decided to hook him up as a show of gratitude. He spoke at Liberty's commencement last year pro bono.

The move led to one of the most emotional 'DWTS' moments ... without a doubt.

Von Miller has been reunited with his Super Bowl 50 helmet -- the helmet that was allegedly stolen by the same crooked Mexican media reporter who jacked Tom Brady.

FBI agent presented the helmet to the Denver Broncos superstar on Wednesday -- and it's clear Miller was excited to get it back.

As we previously reported, officials recovered the helmet from the home of Mauricio Ortega -- who allegedly snuck into Super Bowl locker rooms over the years and stole memorabilia including two game-worn Tom Brady jerseys.

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.

Derek Jeter reportedly has a new teammate -- Jeb Bush -- and it's all in an effort to buy the Miami Marlins.

The ex-MLB supertsar has formed a business partnership with the ex-Florida Governor to strengthen their chances of buying the MLB franchise, according to the Miami Herald.

Jeter has expressed interest in owning an MLB team for years -- and has even gotten the blessing of the Steinbrenner family.

Both Jeter and Bush have homes in Florida.

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.

Aaron Hernandez has ZERO sympathy from former New England Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins -- who tells TMZ Sports he doesn't understand how people feel bad for a "psychopath" like AH.

Wiggins -- who won Super Bowl 36 with the Patriots -- is a die-hard Bostonian and still hosts a radio show in Beantown.

He's also convinced Hernandez was the scum of the Earth and lays out the reasons why.

Rob Gronkowski offered his services to the Trump Administration Wednesday morning -- crashing Sean Spicer's White House briefing to ask if he needed any help!

Of course, Gronk's in town with the rest of the New England Patriots (minus Tom Brady and a few others) to visit President Trump for winning the Super Bowl.

Spicer laughed. The press laughed. And then it was back to Iran.

Meantime, the players who did show up took a photo at the White House along with team owner Robert Kraft and a bunch of their Super Bowl trophies.

Notable players besides Brady who appear to have skipped the 1600 Penn visit ... Danny Amendola, Dont'a Hightower, LeGarrette Blount, Martellus Bennett, Devin McCourty, James White, Michael Floyd, Chris Long, Dion Lewis, Patrick Chung, and Malcolm Butler.

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.

Great news ... Brooke Hogan's missing dog, Molly, has been FOUND -- and she's alive and well and totally not eaten by coyotes!!!!

As we previously reported, Molly -- an 11-year-old Pomeranian -- went MIA on Monday night while Brook's friend was dog sitting.

The big fear ... Molly was lost in the San Fernando Valley which has an issue with coyotes hunting small pets. Jessica Simpson's dog was snatched a few years ago.

But Molly SURVIVED!!!

Brooke tells us a Good Samaritan found Molly after a 24 hour search and posted her photo on a lost dog website. The person who found Molly was several miles away from where she went missing.

Brooke sent us a thank you message once she got Molly home safely.

There's only one way to celebrate a monster playoff performance like DeAndre Jordan had Tuesday night -- HIT THE NIGHTCLUB!!

Jordan headed straight to Avenue Nightclub in Hollywood after dominating the Jazz with 18 points and 15 rebounds and helping the Clippers tie the series at 1-1 ... hanging out until after 1 AM.

But don't trip ... Lob City has a couple days off until their next game, so he should be good to go come Friday.

Aaron Hernandez died innocent of murder, despite the conviction for which he was serving a life sentence.

It may be technical, but it's true. Aaron was convicted in 2015 of murdering Odin Lloyd. He was serving a life sentence when he was found hanging from his cell early Wednesday morning.

Under Massachusetts law, when a person dies while a criminal case is on appeal, the death effectively erases all the criminal proceedings ... it's as if Aaron was never arrested, never tried, never convicted.

The logic is that a person is not only entitled to a fair trial, they're entitled to appeal a conviction, and the process is not cemented until the appeal process is exhausted.

The only thing moving faster than J Lo and A-Rod's relationship is the jet taking them all over the place.

The latest "Where In The World Are J-Rod?" episode landed in Miami Tuesday night, and the couple did dinner at Prime 112 Steakhouse. Talk about racking up the miles ... they spent Easter Sunday with their kids in the Dominican Republic, where J Lo performed the night before.

They also shacked up at a $10k a night private estate. The week before that ... they were hanging in NYC.

Next stop, please!

Aaron Hernandez spoke with one of his close NFL buddies the day before he died.

Hernandez was tight with 3-time NFL Pro Bowler Mike Pouncey -- who currently plays for the Miami Dolphins. The two played college football at the University of Florida together.

Pouncey spoke with Hernandez several times during his time in lockup and in a statement early Wednesday, he refers to Aaron as a friend and brother.

"To my friend my brother! Through thick and thin right or wrong we never left each other's side."

"Today my heart hurts as I got the worse news I could have imagined. It was just a day ago we shared our last convo."

Aaron Hernandez's attorney, Jose Baez, tells TMZ Sports there were NO signs the ex-NFL star was suicidal in the days leading up to his death -- and now he's calling for a full investigation.

"We are shocked and surprised at the news of Aaron’s death," Baez tells us.

"There were no conversations or correspondence from Aaron to his family or legal team that would have indicated this scenario was a possibility."

"Aaron was looking forward to an opportunity for a second chance to prove his innocence. Those who love and care about him are heartbroken and determined to find the truth surrounding his untimely death."

"We request that authorities conduct a transparent and thorough investigation. The Baez law firm will participate in its own examination into the tragic events and will update the media and public on its finding when it becomes available."