Injury prone Todd Gurley released by Rams

The Los Angeles Rams released Todd Gurley, their superstar running back with a massive contract and a troubling injury history Thursday.

The Rams made the move Thursday, several minutes before roughly $10 million in the three-time Pro Bowl selection's contract became fully guaranteed.

Gurley will consume $20.15 million in dead salary cap space this season for the Rams, who signed the 2015 first-round pick to a four-year, $60 million contract with $45 million guaranteed in June 2018. Gurley was cut before even playing the first year of that contract extension, which made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL at the time.

Gurley had phenomenal seasons during his first two years in coach Sean McVay's offense, rushing for 1,305 yards in 2017 and 1,251 in 2018 as those Rams reached the Super Bowl. But Gurley had a persistent left knee injury that limited his effectiveness down the stretch in 2018, and those problems carried over to last season. He rushed for a career-low 857 yards last year while playing sparingly, although McVay never acknowledged it was because of Gurley's knee issue.

The Broncos are waiving Joe Flacco with a failed physical designation.

Flacco went 2-6 as Denver's starter last season before a neck injury ended his season. The move to cut ties with Flacco comes with a $13 million cap hit for the Broncos in 2020, but it frees up $10 million to spend in free agency.

The Lions dealt Darius Slay to the Eagles, getting 2020 third- and fifth-round draft picks for the star cornerback, who had been asking for a new contract.

Saints coach Sean Payton tested positive for the coronavirus. He is the first employee of either an NFL team or the league to make such a diagnosis public. He said he came forward to motivate people to educate themselves about what they can do to help fight the pandemic.

Payton said he took the test Monday after he began to feel ill a day earlier, but also said he has not been admitted to a hospital and does not have a fever or cough.

BASEBALL

Red Sox ace Chris Sale will have Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, an operation that would keep him out the entire 2020 season if and when it resumes after the coronavirus pandemic.

Sale, 109-73 in 10 major league seasons, is entering the second season of a six-year, $160 million contract.

• Giants righthander Tyler Beede also needs elbow surgery after going 5-8 with a 5.08 ERA last year.

The iconic Monaco Grand Prix was canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak and two other Formula One races were postponed.

F1's showcase race was scheduled for May 24 in the tiny principality on the Mediterranean coast between France and Italy.

Hours after being postponed, along with races in the Netherlands and Spain, it was scrapped for 2020.

In other coronavirus-related developments around the world:

Sabrina Ionescu joined an elite group by becoming a three-time All-American.

The Oregon senior shattered the NCAA career triple-double mark and became the first player in college history to have 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists.

She earned a spot on the Associated Press women's basketball All-America team as a unanimous choice from the national media panel.

She was joined on the first team by teammate Ruthy Hebard, Baylor's Lauren Cox, Kentucky's Rhyne Howard and UConn's Megan Walker.

Ionescu is the eighth women's player to earn AP All-America honors three times. The last was South Carolina's A'ja Wilson.