Reuters Sports News Roundup: Hall of Famer Wes Unseld dies aged 74; Woods labels Floyd death a 'shocking tragedy' and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Cincinnati 'exploring multiple scenarios' for the summer tournament

Cincinnati Masters organizers are exploring options for hosting the tournament as the New York Times reported https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/sports/tennis/us-open-new-york.html?smid=tw-share that it could be moved to Flushing Meadows this year as part of a double-header with the U.S. Open. "The health and safety of the players, fans, volunteers, and staff will be our greatest concern," tournament organizers said in a written statement.

Woods labels Floyd death a 'shocking tragedy'

Tiger Woods took to Twitter to speak out for the first time since the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man who died in police custody last week. Police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder after pressing his knee on the neck of Floyd, an African American, for more than eight minutes. Chauvin was also charged with second-degree manslaughter.

Hall of Famer Wes Unseld dies aged 74

Basketball Hall of Fame center Wes Unseld, an elite rebounder who led Washington to their only NBA championship in 1978, died on Tuesday, aged 74, his family said. Unseld, who along with Wilt Chamberlain is one of two players to win NBA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors in the same season, died following lengthy health battles, most recently with pneumonia.

'Big Three' join #BlackoutTuesday campaign against racial injustice

Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, and Novak Djokovic were among the tennis players who joined the #BlackOutTuesday campaign against racial injustice, as protests continue over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody. Floyd died after a white policeman pinned his neck under a knee for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25.

Broncos' Fangio: 'I don't see racism at all in the NFL'

Vic Fangio sees racism as a problem in society as a whole, but not so much in the NFL. The Denver Broncos head coach, talking Tuesday on a video conference call, spoke out in favor of societal changes in the wake of George Floyd's death.

He then went on to defend the NFL's record on race. FIFA adds voice to protests over Floyd's death

World soccer's governing body FIFA has joined sports leagues, teams, and players around the globe to express solidarity amid outrage over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed in police custody in the United States. The National Football League, National Hockey League, and National Basketball Association have put out statements about the racial injustice that sparked protests across the U.S. but Major League Baseball has yet to make an official statement.

On this day: Born June 4, 1965: Mick Doohan, motorcycle world champion

Mick Doohan dominated the top class of motorcycle racing for half a decade at the end of the last century, wiping the floor with the competition to win five consecutive 500cc world championships. Ice cool, brave, ultra-aggressive, dismissive of pain, and competitive to the point of mania, the Australian controlled the snorting, bucking power of the two-stroke 500cc machine like no one else.

Rams' Donald favored winning NFL Def. Player of Year award

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald is favored to capture his third NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2020, according to a pair of sportsbooks. Donald, who won the honor in 2017 and 2018, is +750 to reclaim the award at Bet MGM and +700 in the eyes of DraftKings.

League targets mid-October finish to the virus-hit campaign

The National Basketball Association has targeted Oct. 12 as the last possible date to complete the 2019-20 season, which has been on hold since mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, ESPN reported on Tuesday. The report, which was based on unnamed sources, said a timeline shared with teams showed Oct. 12 as the latest the best-of-seven NBA Finals could finish and a proposal would go to a vote of the league's board of governors on Thursday.

Doping: CAS to hear Salazar appeal in November

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has said it will hear banned track coach Alberto Salazar's appeal to overturn his four-year doping suspension in November. American Salazar, who coached some of the world's top distance runners including British Olympic and world champion Mo Farah, was banned by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in October for "orchestrating and facilitating" doping as head coach of the Nike Oregon Project (NOP).