Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Saints FB Line retires after seven seasons

New Orleans Saints fullback Zach Line retired Wednesday after seven NFL seasons. The 29-year-old rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns and added 161 receiving yards and four touchdown catches in 75 games (22 starts) with the Saints (2017-19) and Minnesota Vikings (2013-16). Executive Kennedy insists Red Sox won 2018 title fairly

Whether the Boston Red Sox's 2018 World Series title was won legitimately is up for debate after Alex Cora was involved in sign-stealing scandals in back-to-back seasons with the 2017 champion Houston Astros and Red Sox. The Red Sox held a press conference on Wednesday -- one day after parting ways with Cora -- and team president Sam Kennedy made it clear he doesn't believe the World Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers is tainted. Strong voices like Megan Rapinoe's are good for sport: German athlete body chief

Athletes are not just sports role models and should speak out about social and political issues just like U.S. soccer player Megan Rapinoe at last year's World Cup, the CEO of independent German athletes' association Athleten Deutschland said. Johannes Herber said on Wednesday the International Olympic Committee's Rule 50 which banned any political messages at Olympic venues or medal ceremonies at this year's Tokyo Olympics, to avoid turning the Games into a political tool, was robbing the world of interesting voices. Owens wishes relaxed celebration rules were in place for his career

Terrell Owens, who became famous for his outlandish and entertaining touchdown celebrations during his storied NFL career, feels rules intended to discourage such behavior prevented him from reaching his full marketing potential. The Hall of Fame wide receiver tallied numerous excessive celebration penalties during a career that ended long before the National Football League in 2017 relaxed its rules on celebrations in a bid to allow players more room to have fun after making big plays. Mickelson has Ryder Cup, not senior circuit, in his sights

Phil Mickelson will be eligible for the PGA Tour's senior circuit this year but the five-times major champion said on Wednesday he has not given it much thought and is focused instead on making the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Mickelson, who turns 50 in June, feels that a decision he made years ago to have a greater work ethic and commitment to physical health has left him in no rush to tee it up on the PGA Tour Champions with players he idolized as a child. Lakers Davis says respect key to clicking with LeBron

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis said mutual respect was key to helping him click with new team mate LeBron James this season as the duo have vaulted the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference standings. The six-times All-Star left the New Orleans Pelicans to join forces with James in the offseason and their instant chemistry has quickly transformed the storied franchise, which has fallen on hard times in recent years, into title contenders. Serena Williams returns to U.S. Fed Cup team

Serena Williams will return to the United States Fed Cup team for a qualifying event against Latvia next month, the United States Tennis Association said on Wednesday. The 23-times Grand Slam winner, who will begin her quest to match Margaret Court's record of 24 singles titles at the Australian Open next week, last played for the U.S. in February 2018 following the birth of her daughter. McEnroe praises 'rare talent' in teen Jannik Sinner

Tennis great John McEnroe heaped praise on 18-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner on Wednesday, telling reporters he sees the young phenomenon as a soon-to-be dominant figure in the sport. Sinner stormed onto the scene late last year, defeating top-seeded competitor Alex de Minaur to claim his first ATP title in Milan in November. He was named the ATP's Newcomer of the Year the following month, drawing comparisons to Roger Federer along the way. Clearer weather allows AusOpen qualifying to start on time

Cooler temperatures and clearing skies following torrential rain on Wednesday allowed officials to continue the qualifying tournament for the Australian Open on Thursday, with forecast smoke haze expected to clear throughout the day. All of the early scheduled matches on the outside courts at Melbourne Park got under way on time while several matches previously suspended due to the poor air quality or the rainfall were rescheduled to resume play later on Thursday. Dodgers must move on from Astros cheating scandal: Bryant

Basketball great Kobe Bryant on Wednesday said the Los Angeles Dodgers need to turn the page after Major League Baseball confirmed this week that the Houston Astros cheated during the 2017 season when they beat the Dodgers in the World Series. The former Los Angeles Lakers guard, who regularly attends Dodgers games, said nothing good can come of wondering what might have been if the Astros hadn't relied on stealing pitching signs to give their batters an unfair advantage.