UNDATED — Andrew Bogut says he probably needs to decide by mid-May whether to end his professional basketball career after 15 years. The first player taken in the 2005 NBA draft began his career with the Milwaukee Bucks and won a championship with the 2015 Golden State Warriors. Bogut spent the last two seasons playing in his native Australian and was planning to retire after representing his country at the Tokyo Games this summer before the pandemic postponed the Olympics.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nobody did anything to get fired or lose a sponsor in this week’s edition of NASCAR virtual racing. William Byron won his second consecutive NASCAR virtual race by holding off Timmy Hill in today’s event at virtual Richmond Raceway. The most excitement came when Matt DiBenedetto was parked for intentionally crashing Ryan Preece and the two then engaged in a Twitter spat. The iRacing Series has had a sour taste since Bubba Wallace lost a sponsor for quitting a game in a rage and Kyle Larson was fired for using a racial slur.

UNDATED — Charles Leclerc has won his second straight Formula One Virtual Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver started the Chinese GP in the pole position. The 22-year-old Leclerc, who has won two F1 races, only started playing the video game at the start of the month. The actual Chinese GP, originally scheduled for April 19, was postponed in February. With the F1 season halted by the coronavirus pandemic, the sport launched a virtual series to keep fans entertained. Golfer Ian Poulter was 18th.

UNDATED — Wayne Gretzky is optimistic the NHL will be able to resume at some point this summer, telling The Associated Press he’s hopeful all sports will be able to come back from the coronavirus pandemic and serve as a sign that conditions are improving. Gretzky says he believes leaders in the U.S. and Canada will find a way to bring back hockey and other sports in June, July and August. The league is considering several options on trying to resume this season, including going directly to the playoffs at several neutral sites.

UNDATED) — The Associated Press has asked more than 20 policymakers, coaches and players across the globe to assess the chances of getting sporting events going again soon. They all conceded that sports may not restart for months, if at all this year. Most agree that what’s needed is a drastic ramp-up in testing, a vaccine or some type of improved treatment to make players feel safe to compete.

NEW YORK — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has made a move that allows teams to lay off or cut the pay of major and minor league managers, coaches, trainers and full-time scouts starting May 1. Manfred has suspended uniform employee contracts that cover about 9,000 people, including general managers on some teams. Manfred cited the inability to play games due to the national emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

UNDATED — College sports programs are already being cut and more are likely on the chopping block. The coronavirus pandemic has triggered fears of an economic meltdown on campuses around the country. In tough times, athletic administrators often drop sports programs to save money. Some observers see the coming crisis as a chance for schools to consider radical changes to how athletic departments are run. There also could be new development paths that emerge for young athletes.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis says it has added guard-forward Landers Nolley II as a transfer from Virginia Tech. Nolley was on the Atlantic Coast Conference all-freshman team this past season after averaging a team-high 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds with the Hokies. He started 29 of 32 games with Virginia Tech and ranked 12th nationally among freshmen in scoring.

IOWA CITY — Former Iowa forward Cordell Pemsl announced on his Instagram page Sunday that he has committed to Virginia Tech to close out his college basketball career. This decision comes after Pemsl put his name in the transfer portal on April 3. Pemsl has played for the Hawkeyes the last four seasons, averaging 2.8 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game this past season.  He played in 28 of the Hawkeyes 31 games.  Le Mars fans probably remember Pemsl from the 2015 Class 3A State championship game against Dubuque Wahlert.  Pemsl had eight points and eight rebounds to help the Eagles beat Le Mars 46-38 in the title game.

UNDATED — Former PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame through the contributor category. Finchem expanded the PGA Tour’s footprint around the world and negotiated TV contracts that more than tripled prize money during his two decades as commissioner. He joins the induction class of 2021 with Tiger Woods.

TAMPA, Fla. — Rob Gronkowski is about to come out of retirement and be reunited with Tom Brady, pending completion of a physical. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to acquire the tight end and a seventh-round pick from the New England Patriots for a fourth-round selection. The proposed trade needs to be finalized before the NFL draft, which begins tomorrow. Gronkowski has caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in 115 regular-season games.

NEW YORK  — The number of minor league teams with major league affiliations is about to shrink by 25%. A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the minor leagues are prepared to agree to Major League Baseball’s proposal to cut guaranteed affiliations from 160 to 120 next year. The plan would impact hundreds of prospects and cut player development expenses. Under MLB’s proposal, each franchise would have four full-season farm teams, a rookie level club at its minor league complex and prospects in the Dominican Summer League.

SIOUX CITY — The Sioux City Explorers and the American Association announced Tuesday that their season openers will now be delayed until early July.  The league was scheduled to open the 2020 season May 19.  The season will be reduced to 80 games.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo men’s basketball team has been placed on one-year probation after a former assistant coach was found to have forged recruiting documents. Buffalo also was fined $5,000, agreed to a two-week ban on communicating with potential recruits and reduced its recruiting days by five for the 2020-21 season. The decision was announced by the NCAA and the Mid-American Conference school as part of a negotiated resolution reached today. The school said it self-reported the infractions in October and cooperated with the NCAA investigation.

DENVER — The Associated Press has learned that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is bracing for cuts of 10% to 20%. The reductions are due to the coronavirus pandemic that has pushed the Olympics back one year and triggered losses across the nation’s sports organizations. The AP received a copy of a letter CEO Sarah Hirshland sent to leaders across the U.S. Olympic world today in which she said the exact nature of the cuts would be determined by the end of May.

UNDATED — The men’s and women’s professional tennis tours plan to create a player relief fund to help those in the sport dealing with the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The ATP and WTA say they are in discussions with the International Tennis Federation and the four Grand Slam tournaments. Neither tour provided any specifics about how much money they are pooling or how it will be distributed. No tournaments will be played before mid-July at the earliest.

NEW YORK — The Boston Red Sox are losing a second-round draft pick and the services of their replay system operator for two years as punishment for sign stealing in 2018. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced his decision yesterday, concluding that Red Sox replay system operator J.T. Watkins broke rules by using in-game video to revise sign sequences provided to players. In addition, former Red Sox skipper Alex Cora has been suspended by Manfred through the 2020 postseason for his previous conduct as bench coach with the Houston Astros.

TAMPA, Fla. — Rob Gronkowski says he spoke with former teammate Tom Brady two months ago before agreeing to come out of retirement and reunite with the six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Gronkowski’s trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became official yesterday as the New England Patriots received a fourth-round pick in this week’s NFL draft for the four-time Pro Bowl tight end and a seventh-round selection. Gronkowski retired 13 months ago after nine seasons and winning three Super Bowl rings with New England.

UNDATED — Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are primed for a made-for-TV rematch, and they’ll be paired with a pair of NFL rival quarterbacks. Turner Sports says quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will join them for a two-on-two match to be aired on TNT sometime in May. Turner didn’t provide specifics, only to say that tournament organizers would work with government and health officials to meet safety and health standards. Turner said all donations and fundraising from the match would benefit relief efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw has abruptly retired after a Hall of Fame career that includes 936 victories and two national championships in 33 seasons. The 64-year-old McGraw became the 13th woman inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame three years ago, one year before her second NCAA title. McGraw is one of five Division I men’s or women’s basketball coaches with at least 930 wins, nine Final Fours and multiple titles. She logged 842 victories over 24 seasons with the Irish.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville has furloughed 45 athletic department staffers for at least 60 days and eliminated 40 other support positions in the latest budget moves resulting from shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Athletic director Vince Tyra also announced 4% pay cuts for staffers earning more than $100,000 in the next year, with those earning below that figure taking 2% salary cuts. The newest salary cuts do not include head coaches, senior staff or the AD, whose salaries were reduced 10% earlier this month.

UNDATED — Heisman Trophy winner and LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals with the first pick in the NFL draft. Burrow just led the Tigers to the national championship in a record-setting season, completing an outstanding 76.3% of his passes for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Washington took Ohio State defensive end Chase Young with the second choice, Buckeyes cornerback Jeff Okudah went to Detroit with the third pick, the New York Giants snared Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas with the fourth selection and Miami grabbed Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth choice.

IOWA CITY  — Iowa Hawkeyes offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs heard his name called at the virtual 2020 N-F-L Draft Thursday night.  Wirfs was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 13^th selection in the draft.  He becomes the 10^th first-round pick of the coach Kirk Ferentz era at the University of Iowa.  The 21-year-old athlete will be responsible for protecting future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.  Wirfs became the fourth offensive lineman to be selected when Tampa Bay traded up a spot with the San Francisco 49ers.

UNDATED — The NCAA is moving closer to allowing Division I athletes to earn money from endorsements and sponsorship deals they can strike on their own as early as next year. Recommended rule changes that would clear the way for athletes to earn money from their names, images and likeness are being reviewed by college sports administrators this week before being sent to the NCAA Board of Governors, which meets Monday and Tuesday. A person who has reviewed the recommendations says the rules would allow athletes to make sponsorship and endorsement deals with all kinds of companies and third parties.

SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga forward Corey Kispert has entered his name in the NBA draft but left open the possibility of returning for his senior season. Kispert says he doesn’t plan on hiring an agent, which would allow him to still play for the Bulldogs. He was a finalist for the Julius Erving small forward of the year award last season after averaging 13.9 points, hitting a team-high 78 3-pointers and shooting 43.8% from long range.

PROVO, Utah — Purdue graduate transfer Matt Haarms has chosen Brigham Young over Kentucky and Texas Tech. Haarms was one of the top transfers after announcing he was leaving the Boilermakers following his junior season. The 7-foot-3 center from Amsterdam averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots per game while shooting 63% last season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says NASCAR teams can work in their race shops if they maintain social distancing guidelines, clearing a potential hurdle to resuming the season in coming weeks. Cooper on Thursday extended the state’s stay-at-home order through May 8 and said he would gradually open it in three phases, adding he is still considering NASCAR’s request to run the Coca-Cola 600 as scheduled on May 24 without spectators. For any racing to be done, the North Carolina-based teams need access to their shops to prep the cars.

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have signed Laremy Tunsil to a three-year, $66 million extension, making him the higest-paid offensive tackle in the NFL. Tunsil had one year left on his contract that will pay him $10.35 million this season. The Texans acquired Tunsil and receiver Kenny Stills in a trade with Miami last August.

UNDATED — The Los Angeles Rams have announced the signings of linebacker Leonard Floyd and defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson after quarterback Jared Goff restructured his contract to create salary cap room. Goff agreed last year to a four-year contract extension with an NFL-record $110 million guaranteed. The extension doesn’t begin until the 2021 season, but Goff agreed to restructure the deal’s money distribution to create breathing room for the Rams.

UNDATED — The NFL put up record ratings for the draft Thursday night, shattering the previous mark set in 2014. The first round averaged a record 15.6 million viewers who watched on ABC, ESPN, the NFL Network and ESPN Deportes. The coverage peaked from 8:45-9 p.m. EDT when 19.6 million viewers tuned in, according to Nielsen. That is up 37% over last year’s 11.4 million. The previous average high was 12.4 million set in 2014.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Forward Precious Achiuwa is leaving Memphis after just one season to enter the NBA draft, saying he’s wanted to play in the league since he started to play the game. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound Nigerian-born star is projected as a likely first-rounder and possible lottery pick. Achiuwa became the first player in the American Athletic Conference named both player and freshman of the year, averaging 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game after arriving as one of the nation’s top prospects.

UNDATED — The Cape Cod League executive committee has announced the cancellation of the 2020 season, saying the unanimous vote was based on the health concerns and safety needs of all involved. The 10-team league is the top summer competition for college baseball players and was scheduled to run from mid-June until August. The league was founded in 1885 and had not missed a season since 1945, the last year of World War II.