Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Plane cushions found in search for missing soccer player Sala

Investigators searching for a lost plane carrying Premier League soccer player Emiliano Sala said on Wednesday an underwater search would begin after they found two seat cushions on the French coast that likely belonged to the aircraft. The 28-year-old Argentina-born forward had been en route from Nantes in western France with pilot David Ibbotson to make his debut for Welsh team Cardiff City when the plane disappeared over the English Channel on Jan. 21. NFL: Kaepernick deserves to be in the NFL, says Boldin

Colin Kaepernick, who has been unable to find a team to play for in the NFL following his protests during the national anthem, is unlikely to ever take the field again, his former San Francisco 49ers team mate Anquan Boldin said on Wednesday. Quarterback Kaepernick is the most visible face among NFL players who have been using the anthem over the past two years to protest against social injustice and police brutality. Kvitova pushed hard in first match since Australian Open

Top seed Petra Kvitova shook off her Australian Open hangover to beat Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 6-2 7-6(3) in the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy on Wednesday, but not before the former world number one gave the Czech a scare. Kvitova, the defending champion, showed she was still feeling the effects of Saturday's defeat by Naomi Osaka in the Australian Open final as she lost her first two service games. With helicopters and dogs, massive Super Bowl security in Atlanta

Local, state and federal agencies are staging a multi-tentacled security operation to protect hundreds of thousands of football fans descending on Atlanta ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl, one of the world's largest sporting events. It took two years to plan the operation ahead of Super Bowl LIII, which pits the New England Patriots against the Los Angeles Rams, officials told a news conference on Wednesday. Trailblazing cheerleading men ready to make Super Bowl history

Excitement was building days before the National Football League's Super Bowl LIII around two men who were set to take the field and make history in Atlanta on Sunday. The two trailblazers, however, are not the head coaches or quarterbacks of the Los Angeles Rams or New England Patriots. Soccer: Nantes pay emotional tribute to Sala

Emotions ran high as Nantes paid tribute to their former player Emiliano Sala on Wednesday in their first game since the Argentine went missing in a light aircraft over the English Channel. Referee Frank Schneider stopped play in the Ligue 1 match against St Etienne at La Beaujoire in the ninth minute -- in a possible reference to Sala's shirt number -- for a minute of applause during which Nantes coach Vahid Halilhodzic was in tears. Report: NFL to consider challenge of judgment calls

The NFL is reviewing options to allow coaches to challenge judgment calls by officials, but their teams would be negatively impacted if a review shows officials got the call right, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday morning. Schefter said that if a challenge is wrong, the team could be penalized or time could be run off the clock. He said that by adding such a disincentive, coaches will reserve the option for the most obvious of cases. Belichick demands Patriots ace Super Bowl LIII preparation

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has good reason to believe the Los Angeles Rams don't know what's coming Sunday night in Super Bowl LIII. Frankly, Belichick himself won't know what is coming until he sees players execute it flawlessly on the field the next three days. No easy fix to officiating gaffe like Saints no call: Goodell

The National Football League (NFL) will consider rule changes aimed at avoiding the type of officiating gaffe that likely cost the New Orleans Saints a spot in the Super Bowl but Commissioner Roger Goodell warned on Wednesday there are no easy fixes. Speaking at his annual state of the league address ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, Goodell acknowledged publicly for the first time that a mistake had been made and that he understands the frustration felt by the Saints. NFL notebook: Kraft open to Brady extension

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has said he wants to play until age 45, and team owner Robert Kraft said Wednesday he wouldn't be opposed to that. Brady will be 42 as he enters the 2019 season, which is the final year of his contract.