LAS VEGAS (AP) — Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady acquired an ownership stake in the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.

He attended an Aces game on May 31 and later sent Las Vegas star Kelsey Plum a jersey and other gifts.

“I am very excited to be part of the Las Vegas Aces organization,” Brady stated. “My love for women’s sports began at a young age when I would tag along to all my older sisters’ games — they were by far the best athletes in our house! We celebrated their accomplishments together as a family, and they remain a great inspiration to me.

“I have always been a huge fan of women’s sports, and I admire the work that the Aces’ players, staff, and the WNBA continue to do to grow the sport and empower future generations of athletes. To be able to contribute in any way to that mission as a member of the Aces organization is an incredible honor.”

Brady, 45, announced his retirement Feb. 1. He won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Buccaneers over a 23-year career.

COUNCIL BANS TRANS ATHLETES

MONACO (AP) — Track and field banned transgender athletes from international competition while adopting new regulations that could keep Caster Semenya and other athletes with differences in sex development from competing.

In a pair of decisions expected to stoke outrage, the World Athletics Council adopted the same rules as swimming did last year in deciding to bar athletes who have transitioned from male to female and have gone through male puberty. No such athletes currently compete at the highest elite levels of track.

Another set of updates, for athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), could impact up to 13 current high-level runners, WA President Sebastian Coe said. They include Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion at 800 meters, who has been barred from that event since 2019.

TEAMS HURT BY EARLY INJURIES

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — A trio of NL pennant hopefuls are suddenly dealing with injuries to some important players.

The Philadelphia Phillies lost slugging first baseman Rhys Hoskins when he damaged his left knee fielding a grounder in a spring training game. He needs surgery for a torn ACL and is expected to miss a significant amount of time.

St. Louis Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (groin) and Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias (inflamed shoulder) also will begin the season on the injured list.

The Phillies didn’t say how long Hoskins is expected to be out. Hoskins, who turned 30 last week, hit six homers in Philadelphia’s playoff run last season. The Phillies lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series.