Reuters Sports News Summary

The games are slated to resume in a Stanley Cup tournament in Canada without fans in attendance, after players ratified a return-to-play plan and extension of a labor deal. Report: Bengals WR Green to play on franchise tag The Cincinnati Bengals expect veteran wide receiver A.J. Green to play the 2020 season on the franchise tag rather than sign a long-term extension, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. NBA docs worried about lingering effects of COVID-19

League physicians and officials are concerned about the lingering health effects for NBA players who contract the coronavirus, ESPN reported Saturday. "There are unknown effects it has on lung capacity, unknown effects it has on cardiac health," one general manager of a team entering the NBA bubble told ESPN on the condition of anonymity. League committed to playing full 2020-2021 season, Bettman says

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said on Saturday the league remained committed to playing a full 2020-2021 season and could even push the start until November or December to accommodate the end of its current season, which resumes Aug. 1. Play was put on hold four months ago due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The games are slated to resume in a Stanley Cup tournament in Canada without fans in attendance, after players ratified a return-to-play plan and extension of a labor deal. Flames' Hamonic first NHL player to opt out of restart

Calgary Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic on Friday night opted out of the restart to become the first NHL player to express he will skip the remainder of the season. Hamonic made the decision just hours after the league and players union each ratified the return-to-play plan. The season will start Aug. 1 with a 24-team playoff tournament after being halted for 4 1/2 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Canada's oil-producing Alberta looks to NHL to boost hard-hit economy

Canada's oil-producing province of Alberta, hard-hit by lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, is counting on National Hockey League (NHL) games to provide a badly needed boost to morale and business. Edmonton, the provincial capital and home to the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, will be a hub city with Toronto when games resume starting on Aug. 1, the first since the league suspended the season in March. Each city will host 12 teams, sequestering players in so-called bubbles that encompass arenas, hotels and select restaurants. OCA mulls rescheduling Asian Beach Games after China decision

The Olympic Council of Asia is considering new dates for this year's Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, the OCA said on Saturday, following China's decision to cancel all international sports in the country following the COVID-19 crisis. The sixth edition of the Games was scheduled from Nov. 28-Dec. 6 but China's General Administration of Sport said on Friday the only international sports events allowed in the country this year would be trials for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Sounders, Earthquakes hold Black Lives Matter display

The Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes participated in a brief Black Lives Matter display before the start of Friday night's MLS is Back Tournament game at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla. Players and coaches from both teams wore Black Lives Matters T-shirts, with the team captains featuring the letters BLM on their armbands. Lightning to be cautious with Stamkos after latest injury

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos will not be ready for the start of training camp as he deals with a lower-body injury, general manager Julien BriseBois said Saturday. The Lightning will begin training camp on Monday without the 30-year-old star forward, who had recovered from core muscle surgery in March before being injured again in voluntary workouts. Mets' Cespedes declares he is ready to play

Yoenis Cespedes is insisting he will be ready to play when the 2020 season starts for the New York Mets on July 24. If so, his first appearance will come more than two years after he last appeared in a major league game. Warrant shows paid cover-up by NFL cornerbacks Baker, Dunbar

A search warrant allegedly indicates that NFL cornerbacks DeAndre Baker and Quinton Dunbar were involved in a cover-up following their arrests for armed robbery stemming from a May 13 incident in Miramar, Fla, according to a New York Daily News report on Friday. According to the Daily News, a warrant obtained as public record from the Broward County (Fla.) Clerk of Courts cites video evidence, social media messages and additional testimony that allegedly show a payoff of $55,000 for the four victims of the alleged robbery, all of whom have since given sworn statements about being paid off to recant their original statements. Report: Bengals WR Green to play on franchise tag

The Cincinnati Bengals expect veteran wide receiver A.J. Green to play the 2020 season on the franchise tag rather than sign a long-term extension, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday. "They don't sound overly optimistic in Cincinnati that their best pass catcher will be locked up long term," Fowler said on SportsCenter. "They expect he'll play this year on the tag, sort of a feeling-out period for both parties.