AMERICAN FOOTBALL

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

London Monarchs will pick fourth in the World League of American Football draft later this month, with the Edinburgh-based Scottish Claymores picking fifth. Rhine Fire, who are based in Dsseldorf, won the lottery held in Barcelona and will have the No 1 pick in the draft, which will be held in Dallas on 20 and 21 February. The regular season begins on 8 April.

The Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin becomes the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history after signing a five-year, $15m (£9.9m) contract yesterday. His deal beats the four-year, $11m contract signed by Tim Brown of the Los Angeles Raiders.