Sports News Roundup: Trump backs ex-QB activist Kaepernick returning to NFL; Serena 'cannot wait' to compete in this year's U.S. Open and more

Serena 'cannot wait' to compete in this year's U.S. Open Serena Williams confirmed on Wednesday she will compete at this year's U.S. Open in New York amid the COVID-19 outbreak, where the seven-times champion will seek a record-tying 24th career Grand Slam singles title.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Trump backs ex-QB activist Kaepernick returning to NFL

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would be in favor of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick returning to the field. Kaepernick says no NFL teams have signed him since he left the San Francisco 49ers after the 2016 season because he knelt during the pre-game playing of the national anthem to protest racial injustice.

Serena 'cannot wait' to compete in this year's U.S. Open

Serena Williams confirmed on Wednesday she will compete at this year's U.S. Open in New York amid the COVID-19 outbreak, where the seven-time champion will seek a record-tying 24th career Grand Slam singles title. "Ultimately, I really cannot wait to return to New York and play the U.S. Open 2020," Williams said in a video message played during a United States Tennis Association news conference to confirm that the Aug. 31-Sept. 13 tournament will proceed without fans.

Pilot in Kobe Bryant helicopter crash may have become disoriented in heavy fog, NTSB says

U.S. federal safety investigators said on Wednesday that the pilot of a helicopter that crashed in foothills near Los Angeles, killing basketball great Kobe Bryant and seven others, likely became disoriented in the fog. The findings came in a so-called "public docket" released by the National Transportation Safety Board as it investigates the January crash. The NTSB has not yet released its final report.

Alcott slams U.S. Open 'discrimination' over wheelchair omission

Australian Paralympic tennis champion Dylan Alcott has slammed the omission of the wheelchair tournament from the U.S. Open, calling it "disgusting discrimination". Alcott, who won the 2015 and 2018 wheelchair singles titles at Flushing Meadows and is the reigning doubles champion, said players were not consulted and posed no greater health threat than able-bodied entrants.

Golf: You should be here, McIlroy tells European players upset about rankings

The European players who opted not to travel to the United States for the PGA Tour's restart after a three-month COVID-19 break should not complain about losing out on world ranking points, world number one Rory McIlroy said on Wednesday The Official World Golf Ranking decided to unfreeze the ranking with last week's resumption of the PGA Tour even though competitors on the European Tour cannot preserve their ranking at home since action remains on hold.

McLaren considering sale of a minority stake in F1 team: Sky

McLaren is considering selling a minority stake in their once-dominant Formula One team to raise funds to help the company weather the COVID-19 crisis, Sky News reported on Wednesday. It said the proposal was at a 'conceptual stage' alongside other options, including raising capital from existing bondholders.

French Open pushed back a week, ATP and WTA announce August resumption

The re-scheduled French Open has been pushed back a further week and the ATP Tour and WTA Tour have both issued revised calendars as professional tennis gears up to emerge from the shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Usually held at the end of May, the French Open was first moved to a Sept. 20-Oct. 4 slot but the main draw will now start on Sept. 27 and end on Oct. 11.

MLB and players agree framework for 2020 season

Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred said on Wednesday he met with the head of the MLB Players Association this week and they put together the framework of a deal to salvage a 2020 season amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Manfred, who had previously said he was "not confident" a 2020 season would happen, requested a one-on-one meeting with MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark and the two spent several hours together in Phoenix.

Soccer: Players take a knee as Premier League restarts

Premier League players, including champions Manchester City, took a knee before kickoff in support of the "Black Lives Matter" movement as the English season restarted on Wednesday. The league returned after a 100-day hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the teams and match officials sent out a strong statement of support for the worldwide protests against racism.

NBA coaches union expresses concerns over Orlando plan

The NBA coaches' union is concerned that the league's return-to-play set up at Walt Disney World Resort will risk their members' health and hurt their future job prospects. At the end of what will be a four-plus-month hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA will have 22 of its 30 teams resume action at the Disney campus near Orlando, Fla., with training camp due to run July 9-29 and games to commence on July 30.