INDIANAPOLIS -- The Denver Broncos have no intention of letting safety Justin Simmons hit the open market.

Broncos president of football operations/general manager John Elway said Tuesday at the scouting combine that the Broncos will indeed use the franchise tag on Simmons if the team and Simmons cannot work out a long-term deal.

Simmons, a third-round pick in the 2016 draft who is set to enter his fifth season, is poised to be an unrestricted free agent March 18 when the new league year begins. But Elway made it clear his goal is to lock up Simmons with new multiyear deal.

"We're hoping to get a deal done before that, but if we don't get something done, we'll use the tag,'' Elway said.

Teams can designate a franchise player between Feb. 27 and March 12. The franchise player then receives a one-year deal that is calculated using a five-year period for the average of the highest-paid players at his position.

The projected franchise tag salary for safeties for 2020 under the current collective bargaining agreement is expected to be about $11.6 million. The franchise player tender is guaranteed for the season as soon as the player signs it.

Elway said the day after the Broncos finished at 7-9 -- the team's fourth consecutive playoff miss -- he had told Simmons the team wanted to re-sign him. Simmons played at a Pro Bowl level in his first year in Vic Fangio's system, as he was tied for second on the team with 93 tackles and led the team with four interceptions as well as 15 passes defensed.

Re-signing Simmons will likely take elite money. The five highest-paid safeties in the league all have contracts that average $14 million and $14.6 million per season. The Broncos, before they've made any roster moves, are scheduled to have more than $60 million worth of salary-cap space.

Simmons has started 48 games in his career, including 16 starts in each of the past two seasons. Simmons has also played every defensive snap in each of the last two seasons.

Elway expressed confidence Tuesday that a long-term deal could be worked out in the coming weeks.

"You would hope so; the bottom line is it's got to be fair for Justin and it's got to be fair for us,'' Elway said. "Hopefully we can get to that point ... I think we'll be able, hopefully, to get something done with Justin. He's an important piece of what we do. We want to get something done.''

INDIANAPOLIS -- The fourth pick in this year's NFL draft can be had for the right price. The New York Giants are "open for business," according to general manager Dave Gettleman.

The Giants join the Detroit Lions, who pick third overall in this April's draft, as willing to at least listen to offers. Lions general manager Bob Quinn recently said he would be "open to any trades."

The Lions and Giants appear to be in the sweet spot if the draft plays out as expected at the top and quarterback-needy clubs fall in love with Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon's Justin Herbert. That would make the third and/or fourth picks especially valuable.

"Absolutely we're open for business," Gettleman said on Tuesday at the NFL combine. "Again, whatever we do is going to be in our best interest. Trading back has its danger. What happens if ... we're at four. Let's say we trade back to eight. There are only four players that we like. What if they're all gone? Now what are you going to do? Trade back again? You can trade yourself back out of good players.

"But, to answer your question, we're open."

It's unlikely to play out that way. This is considered a rather strong draft. There shouldn't be a shortage of upper-echelon players for the first round. Wide receiver, quarterback and offensive line are considered some of the stronger positions.

Trading back later into the Top 10 with a team that needs a quarterback shouldn't prevent the Giants from getting a good player.

"There are a lot of high-graded players," Gettleman said. "I'll tell you that right up front. I'm excited to see where the board ends up. It's a pretty strong draft. It really is."

Making this type of move would be out of character for Gettleman. He has never traded back in any draft as a general manager.

He claims it's not that he's philosophically opposed. It's just the way things have worked out in his first seven drafts as the ultimate decision-maker.

"I've tried to trade back as the general manager," Gettleman said. "The value wasn't there. There was a player we really liked."

Trading down is also rare for the Giants. Per ESPN Stats and Information, the only time the Giants have traded down in the first round in the common draft era (since 1967) is in 2006, when they traded the 25th pick to the Steelers (who selected WR Santonio Holmes) in return for the 32nd pick (Giants selected Mathias Kiwanuka) and two additional picks in the third and fourth rounds.

But this year may be the perfect setup. The Giants drafted a quarterback last year with the No. 6 overall pick. Even though Gettleman and coach Joe Judge wouldn't actually say on Tuesday that Daniel Jones is their unequivocal starter and franchise quarterback, Jones showed enough during his rookie season that people within the Giants organization are confident he's their guy.

Gettleman admitted it's more likely a trade back could work in this scenario. His ears are perked.

The Giants will still be evaluating quarterbacks. They will be paying particularly close attention to the health of Tagovailoa as they know it could greatly affect the draft.

Judge is on board with the open-minded approach the Giants appear to be taking.

"Everything is on the table as far as options," he said. "We'll listen to everybody."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Bears general manager Ryan Pace reaffirmed the team's commitment to starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in 2020, but Chicago could change its offensive philosophy next season.

"To be clear, yes it is," Pace said Tuesday morning at the NFL combine, when asked if the Bears' commitment to Trubisky is unchanged. "We believe in Mitch. Mitch knows he needs to be better. We need to be better around him. And that's our goal."

The second overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft, Trubisky finished the year 28th in total QBR (39.4), tied for 27th in touchdown passes (17), 21st in passing yards (3,138), 32nd in yards gained per pass attempt (6.1) and 28th in traditional quarterback rating (83.0).

The Bears went 8-8 and failed to reach the playoffs.

In 2018, Matt Nagy's first season as head coach, the Bears went 12-4 as Trubisky passed for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and rushed for 421 yards and three touchdowns.

"I think every quarterback is growing in different areas, and a big growth for a quarterback is understanding coverages, mastering your offense, being comfortable with all the new things coordinators are throwing at you," Pace said.

"... I remember with Drew [Brees], he went through that in 2004 in San Diego; just immersed himself in that. That's Mitch's mindset right now. Just being obsessed with learning NFL defenses, mastering our offense. And when you do those things, it allows you to play faster and with better instincts."

Trubisky underwent surgery in January to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder but is expected to be ready when training camp opens in July. He suffered the labrum tear and dislocated his non-throwing shoulder in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings but missed just one game.

Pace emphasized that the Bears want competition at all positions -- including quarterback -- but the GM stopped short of revealing whether Chicago intends to add another quarterback via free agency or the draft.

The Bears enter the 2020 season with a clear sense of urgency -- particularly on offense, where Chicago ranked 29th in points per game and total yards per game, 27th in rushing yards per game and 25th in passing yards per game.

Nagy shook up the offensive staff last month by firing three assistants; hiring Bill Lazor to be offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach, Juan Castillo as offensive line coach and Clancy Barone as tight ends coach; and promoting Dave Ragone to passing game coordinator.

"As we go through this offseason here, we need to figure out offensively what is our identity," Nagy said. "I think more specifically, too, in the run game, we struggled there. So we got to figure out what our identity is, and that's going to be an objective for us. ... There's a sense of urgency for us going into this year. It needs to happen sooner."

A former assistant under Andy Reid in both Philadelphia and Kansas City, Nagy brought a version of Reid's offense to Chicago when the Bears hired him two years ago. But after a pair of subpar offensive seasons, Nagy hinted that -- like Reid -- he's willing to reinvent himself on offense if necessary.

"Coach Reid in Philadelphia ran a true West Coast offense," Nagy said. "He's not running that anymore. He's been changing. ... When we had Alex Smith [with the Chiefs], he brought in a lot of the [run-pass option] stuff. And now he's got Patrick [Mahomes] and they're doing their things. So to each their own. And it worked. But that also took a little bit of time, right?

"... There's a foundation there of players that has been created over time, and that offense is not the same as what it was when I was there two years ago. That's fun. And now having new ideas from new offensive coaches and what they have, I've gotta tell you, I'm absolutely loving it right now."

As the Chinese Basketball Association remains indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, former NBA players such as Stanford alum Chasson Randle are in limbo waiting to see if or when play will resume.

Players also are waiting to receive concrete information on the status of their contracts, which are often worth in excess of several million dollars per season for top players.

Agent Darrell Comer of YouFirst Sports told ESPN that Randle has twice attempted to sign 10-day contracts with NBA teams, but his client has been unable to resume his NBA career because he can't obtain his FIBA letter of clearance from his club in Tianjin, China.

Comer told ESPN that since Chasson returned to the United States on Jan. 26, there have only been updates on the virus and nothing from the league about when -- or if -- the season will even resume.

"His payments are currently behind with no date provided of when he will receive salary owed," Comer told ESPN. "He has been offered opportunities to sign 10-day contracts with NBA teams, but Tianjin has denied his FIBA clearance despite the fact that the 10-day contracts will expire before all rumored dates if the China season will resume.

"Chasson is not only being prevented from making income, but also from furthering his career as a NBA player. We are speaking to bring awareness to this unfair issue for Chasson, but also for the other talented players who are back from China and may experience similar issues soon."

All international basketball transfers are bound by FIBA letter of clearance rules, which ensure that players are not under contract simultaneously with two separate teams.

Once Randle signed a 10-day contract in the NBA, a formal request was made in writing to the Chinese Basketball Association, by way of FIBA. In both instances, his club Tianjin refused to issue clearance, his agent told ESPN, stating he is currently under contract.

Because payments due to Randle as part of his salary are delinquent, he is entitled to make an appeal to FIBA -- a process that takes 7-10 days.

The State Department issued a travel advisory on Feb. 2 advising U.S. citizens not to travel to China after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency. Airlines around the world have suspended service to mainland China.

Approximately 40 American players -- which include former NBA players Jeremy Lin, Lance Stephenson, Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and others -- are currently under contract with the 20 teams that make up the Chinese Basketball Association. Most foreign players were sent home over the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, a source told ESPN, with instructions to prepare to return in mid to late February.

As the outbreak has worsened, teams have unofficially told American players and their representatives to expect the league to be suspended until at least early April -- and possibly cancelled altogether -- pending the containment of the disease.

The closest CBA arena to the center of the outbreak in the Wuhan region is in Nanchang, around 350 miles away.

The viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 80,000 people globally, and more than 2,600 deaths worldwide have been attributed to the virus. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it.

As the virus continues to spread, the Italian Basketball Federation has announced that it has suspended games in Serie A, Serie A2 and Serie B this weekend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SERGE IBAKA WANTS everyone to know that the scarf -- yes, that scarf -- is not absurd.

It is not over the top or ridiculous, even though it is so long that it nearly touches the floor when worn by the Toronto Raptors' 7-foot center.

Ibaka didn't set out to be an internet sensation. His goal wasn't to be the punchline of a joke or featured on a Valentine's Day card that read: "Serge-ing for a love longer than my scarf."

"It is art," Ibaka said. "It's not funny."

But it did take off.

The photo that the Raptors' team account posted of him walking into the arena in the enormous, pink scarf has garnered over 129,000 likes on Instagram. It has been spun into silly memes and has been featured on nightly highlight shows.

When these Raptors look back on the run they've had -- 15 straight wins before the All-Star break and 17 of 18 heading into Tuesday night's matchup with the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks -- they won't necessarily remember every opponent, every clutch bucket or every team meal.

But they will remember the scarf.

Like Lil' Kev, the magazine cutout-turned-mascot of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2016 championship season, the Ibaka scarf is a totem that will give Raptors players and fans something to look back on from this improbable run up the Eastern standings.

And it all started with a five-minute FaceTime call.

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THE LEGEND BEGAN hours before the Raptors tipped off against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 5.

Ibaka, two days after his now-viral "What about scarves?" moment alongside teammate OG Anunoby, dialed Empire Customs, Ibaka's go-to suit shop in Toronto and a 20-minute walk from Scotiabank Arena.

He had a request.

At around 1:30 p.m., Jordi Sanchez, Serge's manager, marched into the haberdashery with an armful of knitted fabric that resembled a blanket. While most Empire customers consult with the store's tailors and managers over a glass of bubbly champagne or a creamy cappuccino, it isn't uncommon for Ibaka to take in his own fabrics with a design already in mind.

After all, Ibaka is a regular there and managing partner Byron Abad estimates that at any given time during the season, Empire Customs is working on 10 suits for Ibaka.

But this was something ... different.

Empire Customs' tailor, Tamim Ahmadyar, can typically be seen sewing lapels, hemming trousers and nipping and tucking coats to fit just right. He had never before worked on a scarf -- let alone one with temperamental loops that threatened to unravel completely with a single wrong move of his scissors.

"This was actually like if you think of your grandmother knitting at the couch type vibe," Abad said. "We do our best never to say no and say, 'Come on in and give us a shot.'"

Ahmadyar began by cutting the 2 yards of fabric in half, stitching it up as he went along so that its fragile loops wouldn't come undone. He sewed the base of the rectangle to the top of it, creating a loop big enough for Ibaka's 235-pound frame.

By 4 p.m., the scarf was on its way, and less than an hour later, Ibaka was walking into Scotiabank Arena with the fashion statement around his neck. Ibaka exploded for 30 points that night, including a game-winning 3-pointer.

By the time the Raptors put the icing on a 119-118 comeback win over the Pacers that night and extended their winning streak to 12 games, the scarf was already being meme-ified.

"I didn't expect that," Ibaka said. "It surprised me to see it take off. I always do art. That's the culture I come from -- we like to dress nice. It is my thing."

If you ask forward Anunoby, he will grin and gently double down that he thinks he started the scarf fad, no matter how big a statement Ibaka made.

"I don't know what he was thinking," Anunoby said, giggling. "I have always worn scarves. If he wants to say he influenced me, that's OK. I don't want any conflict.

"Even though I did influence him."

AFTER HIS GRAND entrance made headlines, Ibaka started paying the scarf game forward to his teammates.

Ibaka, who serves as a global ambassador for the Canadian outerwear company Nobis, packed dozens of matching fuzzy, orange-and-green camouflage print scarves (250 Canadian dollars each) aboard the Raptors' plane from Minneapolis to Brooklyn, New York, on Feb. 11.

"Big Scarf Energy" -- the rallying cry of their winning streak -- was born.

The coaching staff got scarves. The public relations staff did, too. Even the team's trainers and doctors were hooked up by Ibaka -- all given the same 6-foot-long scarves as basketball players, even if they were significantly shorter.

"It's the biggest scarf I've ever seen," head coach Nick Nurse said. "I dozed off on the couch and I used it as a blanket."

Ibaka's gift hasn't been adopted by all the players as cherished pieces of their wardrobes. The scarf didn't make the trip with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson when he ventured to Chicago during the All-Star break, and Kyle Lowry fears that in the hustle of moving from city to city he might have accidentally left his on a team bus.

But the point of the scarves wasn't to make them a nightly staple. Toronto has taken injury blow after injury blow this season. Despite spells without many of the team's top players and even though reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard left for Los Angeles in the offseason, the Raptors have trudged on. The scarves are a reminder of the bond that helped keep this team in contention.

"It is just to create good vibes on the team," Ibaka said. "We need that. We have been playing so well -- it is always important to keep that chemistry and that joy in the locker room.

"To me, it was the perfect moment to do that."

NEW YORK -- A Bronx Supreme Court judge granted a protective order for New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner against a fan.

Gardner, 36, filed the request last week against Gina Devasahayam and said in court documents that she has "harassed and menaced" him and his family, the New York Post reported.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Eddie McShan said he granted the request Monday because of "the possibility of injury."

Gardner has told the court that Devasahayam believes they have some sort of relationship, but he said they have never met in person.

Devasahayam, 46, told the Post outside the courtroom that they met on social media.

The judge gave Devasahayam until Thursday to offer evidence to alter the ruling.

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman wasn't in the Braves' starting lineup Tuesday because of irritation in his right elbow.

Freeman felt discomfort Monday and again Tuesday.

"We're trying to nip it in the bud. He's been throwing balls and doing things," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "It's better that it's in February than the end of March."

Snitker said he is not sure how long Freeman will be out.

Freeman had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Oct. 18. The entire right elbow joint was cleaned during the procedure, which included removing three fragmented loose bodies and cleaning up multiple bone spur formations.

Freeman played with the injury for part of last season. Despite that, he set career highs in home runs (38), RBIs (121) and runs (113). He was 4-for-20 with a home run in the playoffs.

MIAMI -- Next year's World Baseball Classic will be played in Taiwan, Tokyo, Phoenix and Miami, with the Marlins hosting the semifinals and final along with half of the quarterfinals.

The fifth edition of the tournament will be played from March 9-23 next year. There will be four groups of five teams. Those are the 16 participants in the 2017 tournament plus four qualifiers to be determined during a 12-nation tournament this March 13-25 at Tucson, Arizona.

The U.S. won the tournament for the first time in 2017 following titles by Japan in 2006 and 2009 and the Dominican Republic in 2013.

BBC investigative programme says Olympic champion changed his account relating to L-carnitine injections before the 2014 London Marathon

BBC’s Panorama has seen investigations correspondent Mark Daly raise fresh questions over Mo Farah’s relationship with the now banned coach Alberto Salazar and make claims that Farah repeatedly denied to US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that two days before the 2014 London Marathon he received injections of the controversial legal supplement L-carnitine.

According to the programme, Farah told USADA officials during an interview that he did not have the injection but then, after seeing UK Athletics (UKA) head of endurance Barry Fudge, who had earlier been interviewed by the agency, Farah went back to see the officials to tell them he had in fact had the injection.

A transcript of Farah’s USADA interview, obtained by Panorama, appears to show that Farah changed his account to investigators, saying he had forgotten about the L-carnitine injections.

The doctor that administered the injection, Rob Chakraverty, plus UKA coaches Fudge and Neil Black, the governing body’s former performance director, were also featured in the programme and emails showed they raised concerns about the injections but went ahead anyway, with Fudge travelling to Switzerland to pick up the supplement.

According to the programme, they initially questioned whether the injection, while legal, was within the “spirit of the sport”.

Salazar, who was the former head coach at the Nike Oregon Project, received his four-year ban last year but is appealing it.

Salazar has denied any wrongdoing, while there is no suggestion that Farah has violated any rules.

Farah’s lawyers told Panorama: “Mr Farah understood the question one way and as soon as he left the room he asked Mr Fudge and immediately returned … to clarify and it is plain the investigators were comfortable with this explanation.

“It is not against [WADA] rules to take [L-carnitine] as a supplement within the right quantities. Mr Farah … is one of the most tested athletes in the UK, if not the world, and has been required to fill in numerous doping forms. He is a human being and not a robot. That is relevant … if in fact something was missed from the form. Interviews are not memory tests.”

The Panorama programme includes interviews with Kara and Adam Goucher, Toni Minichiello and Damian Collins, who led a parliamentary select committee inquiry into doping in sport.

UKA said after the programme that they “operate an absolute zero tolerance policy towards the use of banned performance enhancing drugs and methods and toward any and all doping practices within sport”.

The governing body’s statement added: “We recognise and take seriously the issues raised by USADA’s ruling and fully supported their investigation.

“L-carnitine is a legal and scientifically legitimate food supplement that can be used by endurance athletes across a number of sports. It is not a prohibited substance and has previously been used in drink form. Over the past few years, a small number of British athletes have used L-carnitine, and, to our knowledge, all doses and methods of administration have been fully in accordance with WADA protocol.

“All the information, emails and documentation relating to the use of L-carnitine prior to the 2014 London Marathon were voluntarily handed to USADA in 2015. This was also covered in full during UKA’s detailed testimonies to the Parliamentary Select Committee in 2017.

“Both make clear the dosage provided to Mo Farah was well within the 50ml limit permitted by WADA. UKA personnel took steps throughout to ensure that full and honest accounts of the process were given in all forums. Any suggestion to the contrary is false and misleading.

“The report published following the Select Committee Hearings stated the Committee noted the progress made by UKA in medical record keeping since 2014 – a key recommendation from UKA’s own investigation conducted in 2015. The core recommendations from this investigation were published in January 2016 and can be found here.

“Since USADA’s ruling in October 2019, UKA has commissioned an independent QC-led Review to look at how the organisation responded to the Nike Oregon Project issues in 2015 and 2017, the recommendations made at the time and subsequent related decisions made by the UKA Board at those respective times.

“The independent review will also set out any recommendations to assist UKA to ensure its future governance and assurance framework is robust.”

Nicole Sapstead, UK Anti-Doping CEO, said: “We watched BBC’s Panorama programme with interest, and would welcome the opportunity to review any additional material that Panorama have acquired during the course of its investigation.

“We thank the Panorama team for their efforts. The programme is another example of the importance of investigative journalism regarding integrity matters in sport.

“UKAD supported USADA with their investigation into the Nike Oregon Project. We believe USADA’s investigation was extensive and robust.

“If anyone has information that could be of interest to UKAD and its investigations on any matter, we urge them to contact us.”

The BBC Panorama programme comes a few days after an exclusive interview with Farah was published in The Times which included comment from the Olympic gold medallist on topics such as his relationships with coaches Salazar and Jama Aden.