Sports News Roundup: Panthers cut ties with the company; NBA tweaks standings, will clarify roster rules and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

'We were wrong': NFL commissioner regrets stance on player protests, condemns racism

National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league made mistakes in not listening to players, in a video on Friday denouncing racism in the United States amid widespread protests over police brutality against black people. "We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest," said Goodell. "We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter."

Impossible to play under U.S. Open's COVID-19 protocols, says Djokovic

World number one Novak Djokovic has said participating in the U.S. Open would be an impossible task due to the "extreme" COVID-19 protocols in place for the tournament at Flushing Meadows. The U.S. Open, scheduled to begin on Aug. 31, will be the first Grand Slam to be played after the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the season in March. The French Open was postponed to September while the Wimbledon championships were canceled.

Panthers cut ties with the company following CEO's racial email

The Carolina Panthers are cutting ties with a major local promotional partner after the company's founder and CEO was revealed to have sent an email with racially charged comments. Ken Gill, CEO of CPI Security, replied to a mass email from a nonprofit group called Queen City Unity -- asking for action in response to killings of black people by police, like George Floyd -- by writing: "Please spend your time in a more productive way. Better use of time would be to focus on the black on black crime and senseless killing of our young men by other young men. Have a great day, Ken Gill."

Antetokounmpo, Bucks players join Milwaukee protest

Several Bucks players, led by reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, spoke and marched on Saturday in Milwaukee at a protest against racial injustice and police brutality. Among the other Bucks players present were his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo, as well as Brook Lopez, Sterling Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, Frank Mason, and Cam Reynolds. All wore shirts reading "I can't breathe," a reference to the words of George Floyd before he died in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis.

Dixon puts in a long day to take a win on IndyCar return

Scott Dixon rocketed to career win number 47 at the Genesys 300 on Saturday as the IndyCar season got off to a crash-filled start at the Texas Motor Speedway after a nearly three-month delay because of the novel coronavirus. While North America's biggest sports - the NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS - work on return to play scenarios, it was a full day of motor racing in the United States with both NASCAR and IndyCar staging events.

World boxing champion Joshua attends march, says racism is a pandemic

Heavyweight boxing world champion Anthony Joshua described racism as a "pandemic" while addressing protesters at a Black Lives Matter march in London on Saturday. Joshua, one of Britain's highest-profile sportsmen, joined a march through the streets of his home town of Watford before gathering in a park where he recited a poem written by a friend.

College football players, coaches take part in unity walks

Players, coaches, and administrators from college football teams across the country gathered Saturday to take part in unity walks with their campus communities. In Oxford, Miss., Lane Kiffin said it was important to take part "after listening to our players throughout the week," the first-year Rebels coach told ESPN.

Broncos players, coaches, execs lead the protest in Denver

More than 75 members of the Denver Broncos, including star linebacker Von Miller, head coach Vic Fangio, and CEO Joe Ellis, led thousands through downtown Denver on Saturday during a peaceful protest for the Black Lives Matter movement. The group included more than 50 Broncos players and all 25 coaches on the team's staff, with most wearing masks printed with the words "I can't breathe" and shirts reading "If you ain't with us, you against us." Safety Kareem Jackson helped organize the march, which lasted for well over an hour.

Report: NBA tweaks standings, will clarify roster rules

The NBA continues to fine-tune the structure and rules it will follow when the season resumes July 31 at the Disney World campus in Orlando, Fla., including tweaks to the standings and potential roster changes. ESPN reported Saturday that the league will use win percentage -- rather than a measure of games relative to .500 -- to set the order of the standings, a clarification that is necessary because teams have played a different number of games thus far.

NASCAR: Allmendinger wins at Atlanta for the first victory of the season

A.J. Allmendinger took the checkered flag at Atlanta on Saturday for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season in just his second start. The 38-year-old Allmendinger led 37 laps and held off Noah Gragson to win the EchoPark 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was Allmendinger's fourth win of his career on the Xfinity Series.

(With inputs from agencies.)