Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Racist abuse blights Bulgaria-England qualifier

Racist abuse cast a blight over a Euro 2020 qualifier between Bulgaria and England on Monday with the match in Sofia twice halted by the referee after monkey noises and chants from the crowd were aimed at black players from the visiting team. English FA chairman Greg Clarke, present at the Levski Stadium, said it was "probably one of the most appalling nights I have seen in football." Brady says he won't ask Gronkowski to return to Patriots

Tom Brady said Monday he won't ask Rob Gronkowski to end his retirement to return to the New England Patriots. "I love that guy. I'm so happy that he's enjoying his time, his life," Brady said of Gronkowski, who caught 79 touchdown passes at tight end for the Patriots. "He seems to really be doing a lot of great things. He knows how I feel about him. I want what's best for him. He's the only person that can make those decisions. I don't lobby for those things." Diplomatic chill as North hosts South Korea in World Cup qualifier

South Korean football fans will be left in the dark as their national team play in North Korea for the first time in 30 years on Tuesday, with Pyongyang refusing to broadcast the World Cup qualifier live amid a return of chilled relations with Seoul. Last year saw a flurry of sports diplomacy between the two Koreas, who fielded a joint ice hockey team and marched together at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Kipchoge, 10 others nominated for male athlete of year

Kenyan Eluid Kipchoge, who on Saturday became the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours, is one of 11 nominees for the IAAF male athlete of the year, athletics' governing body said on Monday. Kipchoge, who finished a special marathon in Vienna in one hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds that will not be recognized for world record purposes, also was nominated for his London Marathon course record. Stephen Jones: Cowboys coach Garrett safe

The Cowboys' third straight loss, to the previously winless New York Jets on Sunday, hasn't changed the thoughts of Dallas executive vice president Stephen Jones about the future of head coach Jason Garrett. "Absolutely not," Stephen Jones said on his radio show Monday on 105.3 The Fan. "We're ready to go. I think this team just needs to get a win under its belt, and I still think we can have a great year and feel good about it and feel great about Jason and his staff and feel like we'll go to work here this week and move forward." NFL notebook: Bucs sticking with INT-prone Winston

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said Monday that Jameis Winston will remain his team's starting quarterback despite throwing a career-worst five interceptions Sunday in a loss to the Carolina Panthers in London. "No," Arians said when asked if Winston would be replaced. "I look at the reasons why. What happened? If it happens again, yeah, it'll concern the hell out of me." MLB notebook: Mets reportedly bring in Perez for interview

The New York Mets are considering ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez in their managerial search, according to SNY.tv, which reported he was in New York on Monday for a second interview. The first interview was via phone. Mickey Callaway was fired by the Mets on Oct. 3 after two seasons as their manager. Tonga hooker Ngauamo gets seven-week ban for kicking opponent

Tonga hooker Paula Ngauamo has been banned for seven weeks for kicking an opponent in the head during his team's 31-19 win over the United States in their final Pool C match at the Rugby World Cup. The 29-year-old admitted he had committed foul play to World Rugby's independent Judicial Committee. The decision leaves him unable to play for his club team Agen in France's Top 14 for the duration of the suspension. NHL roundup: Pastrnak's 4 goals push Bruins past Ducks

David Pastrnak scored all four goals -- giving him six goals in his past four games -- as the Boston Bruins beat the visiting Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Monday afternoon in a matchup of teams that entered the day 4-1-0. Pastrnak struck in each period, including twice in the third, for his first career four-goal performance, while Brad Marchand and Torey Krug each had two assists for the Bruins. LeBron says Rockets GM 'wasn't educated' when he sent Hong Kong tweet

LeBron James weighed in on the controversy between China and the NBA on Monday, saying that Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey "wasn't educated" when he sent a tweet in support of protesters in Hong Kong this month. Morey's tweet of support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong on Oct. 4 set off a firestorm, prompting Chinese sponsors and partners to cut ties with the league and the National Basketball Association (NBA) to answer difficult questions about free speech. "We all talk about this freedom of speech. Yes, we all do have freedom of speech. But at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you're not thinking about others," James told reporters before the Lakers' preseason game against Golden State in California. "I don't want to get into a word or sentence feud with Daryl," he added. "But I believe he wasn't educated on the situation at hand and he spoke." Not long after the media session, James took to Twitter to clarify his statements. "Let me clear up the confusion. I do not believe there was any consideration for the consequences and ramifications of the tweet," James tweeted. "I'm not discussing the substance. Others can talk About that." James' tweets and statement have set off their own firestorm, with basketball fans in the U.S. and China sounding off.

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