Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing back cornerback Bashaud Breeland on a one-year deal that could be worth up to $4.5 million, according to a person familiar with the contract. The agreement helps alleviate one of the Super Bowl champions' biggest concerns ahead of the NFL draft. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal had not been announced. Breeland helped the Chiefs win their first championship in five decades last season before joining cornerbacks Kendall Fuller and Morris Claiborne in free agency. Fuller has since signed with Washington.
MADRID (AP) — Toni Dovale has a different routine than most Spanish soccer players during the coronavirus pandemic. Some have been spending their time trying to stay fit or negotiating salary reductions with their clubs. But the former Sporting Kansas City and Celta Vigo player is working to guarantee there are enough protective masks, gloves and medicine to help in the fight against the virus in hard-hit Spain. He is working in his family's small pharmacy while soccer remains on hold because of the virus. He had been playing in Thailand before coming to Spain for the holidays and got stuck when the outbreak started.
UNDATED (AP) — Few vocations require more missed time with loved ones than big league and major college sports. Elite athletes and coaches enjoy privileges and rewards, but family time is one part of life that can't be priced out. The COVID-19 pandemic that put sports on pause has given them time with loved ones. The 82-game National Hockey League schedule normally keeps Winnipeg forward Blake Wheeler away from his wife and three young children more than one-third of the year. Now, Wheeler says his 2-year-old son, Mase, is finally starting to realize he is his dad.
UNDATED (AP) — College baseball stands to benefit from Major League Baseball's decision to shorten its 2020 draft to as few as five rounds and limit signing bonuses for undrafted free agents to $20,000. The college game also will have older and more experienced players because of the NCAA's decision to allow players whose season was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic to return to school in 2021 with the same eligibility standing as in 2020. Michigan coach Erik Bakich says the talent level in the college game could be the deepest ever.