Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. On this day: Born April 15, 1957: Evelyn Ashford, American sprinter

On a warm July 1983 day in the Colorado mountains, a slender American woman literally reached the peak of female sprinting when she smashed the women's 100 metres world record that German athletes had owned for a decade. Evelyn Ashford had beaten Marlies Gohr (100m) and Marita Koch (200m) in the 1979 World Cup of Athletics and now she had Gohr's 100 metres world record. She’s got everything you want': Ionescu to shine in WNBA draft

Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu is set to seize the spotlight in Friday's virtual WNBA draft, as players and coaches stay behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic that forced the postponement of the league's upcoming season. Ionescu, the first NCAA player to score 2,000 career points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists, is all but assured to become the first overall pick, with the disciple of the late Lakers great Kobe Bryant set to become a force in the league. Belichick, Patriots 'moving forward' minus Brady

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is ready for turn the page after 20 years with Tom Brady. Brady signed a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, putting the Patriots in unfamiliar and uncertain territory entering the 2020 NFL Draft. Mother-of-four diving into an Olympic comeback

If you are Laura Wilkinson, a 42-year-old mother making your return to competitive diving after under-going spinal fusion surgery, a year delay in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is not a bad thing -- it's a gift. For those wondering why a mother of four is throwing herself off a 10-meter tower, you have to look back two decades when Wilkinson's name might have been familiar. McIlroy hopes delayed Masters can help end wait for green jacket

World number one Rory McIlroy expects this year's Masters to feel a bit different and says the tournament being pushed back to November due to the COVID-19 pandemic could help him win the coveted green jacket. The Masters is usually the year's first major but the event had been delayed from its April slot and will now take place after the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, which were rescheduled for August and September. Florida deems WWE 'essential business' amid coronavirus outbreak

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has been deemed an "essential business" in Florida, the mayor of Orange County said on Monday, allowing the company to resume live tapings of its shows in the state during the coronavirus outbreak. A statewide stay-at-home order went into effect earlier this month in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19, and while WWE was not initially viewed as essential like grocery stores and pharmacies it has since been given the green light. XFL files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to coronavirus

The XFL, a reboot of the 2001 league of the same name, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday a month after it had to cancel the remainder of its inaugural season because of the coronavirus outbreak. The brainchild of Vince McMahon, the XFL 2.0 was the second attempt by the World Wrestling Entertainment impresario to provide an NFL alternative to American football fans, the first folding in 2001 after one season. Larson suspended by NASCAR for use of racial slur during esports event

NASCAR has suspended Kyle Larson indefinitely and ordered him to attend sensitivity training after he used a racial slur during a livestream broadcast of an iRacing esports event. "NASCAR has made diversity and inclusion a priority and will not tolerate the type of language used by Kyle Larson during Sunday's iRacing event," NASCAR said in a statement. MLS considers alternative formats for 2020 season

MLS commissioner Don Garber told ESPN that the league will explore alternative formats when it comes to completing the 2020 season. Garber said that the MLS is "focused at getting in as many as games as possible" if play resumes following the coronavirus pandemic. Reports: Panthers' McCaffrey agrees to four-year, $64 million extension

Carolina Panthers star Christian McCaffrey is set to become the highest-paid running back in NFL history after agreeing to a four-year, $64 million contract extension, multiple media outlets reported on Monday. McCaffrey's reported deal eclipses the average of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is making $15 million per season.