Tom Brady will be set to make his Buccaneers debut against Drew Brees and the Saints “in what is considered one of the marquee matchups of the NFL season.” The Sept. 13 game will be the second half of a doubleheader on Fox (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/7). The Buccaneers likely will have the “most anticipated schedule-reveal” tonight when the NFL announces its ’20 slate, and it is sure to be “prime-time laden” (BOSTON HERALD, 5/7).

The Saints figure in another high-profile game, as the Raiders’ "first home game at Allegiant Stadium" will be against New Orleans on Monday night, Sept. 21, a source said (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 5/7).

Top NFL and team officials have reached out to governors and mayors in NFL cities ahead of tonight’s schedule release, emphasizing that they understand the games are subject to government and public health approval. The calls have mostly been to be certain the politicians know the schedule is coming, and to communicate that the league is preparing many alternatives if the coronavirus pandemic prevents the schedule from happening as written. Most important, sources said, is to minimize the chance that politicians see the schedule release as a challenge to their authority to prevent large gatherings.

“The league and the clubs have been in contact with the relevant local, state and federal government authorities and will continue to do so,” NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said. The schedule is being released as some states begin to cautiously re-open parts of their economy, but others still appear to be weeks or months away from taking those steps. Teams could be facing substantially different legal conditions from each other by training camp. In California, for instance, large sporting events would fall under “Phase 4” of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plans to re-open. Teams have told the Newsom administration that they understand what must happen before they can execute the games.

Texas Motor Speedway has been "given the green flag for IndyCar's 2020 season debut on June 6," as the series today released a "comprehensive set of guidelines set to be in place as open-wheel racing returns." The race "will run without fans" and begin at 8:45pm ET on NBC Sports as previously scheduled. It will be called the Genesys 300. What would normally take a full weekend will now be held entirely on June 6, with a "two-hour practice session to begin at 1:30 pm, followed by qualifications" at 5:00pm. Teams will be "limited to 20 people per car admitted onto the grounds -- including the driver, owner, spotters and pit crew members" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/7).

TMS President Eddie Gossage today appeared to confirm that the track was able to get a reduced sanction fee from IndyCar in order to host the race, as THE DAILY reported last week (THE DAILY).

Turner will simulcast "The Match: Champions for Charity" across TNT, TBS, truTV and HLN on Sunday, May 24, at 3:00pm ET, with the Bleacher Report app carrying pre-match coverage. Turner Sports unveiled specifics around the long-rumored show, which will pit Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in a charity match that will see WarnerMedia and the golfers donate $10M to COVID-19 relief. The event will be held at the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. Excel and Lagardère Sports are the tournament organizers. The two companies cut the media deal with WarnerMedia and Turner Sports.

Read the full story on our Breaking News blog.

ViacomCBS President & CEO Bob Bakish said the company is seeing “strong demand” to advertise against PGA Tour content, with play planned to resume June 11. Bakish on today's Q1 earnings call also said upfronts will be “later and longer than normal.” ViacomCBS did not share specific Q2 ad forecasts, though Fox has said that it "expected a 50% decline." Bakish: “It’s not as bad as what Fox is saying, but it’s not pretty either.” He also reiterated a theme of the Q1 report: “The crisis has proven the power of streaming” (ADEXCHANGER.com, 5/7).

USA Shooting interim CEO Bob Gambardella is stepping down, with his last day being May 15, according to sources. It is believed that BOD Chair Chad Whittenburg will oversee operations until a new CEO is hired in the coming weeks. Sources said Gambardella’s resignation follows the BOD’s decision to open a search for a permanent CEO. Reached via text, Gambardella said he “made the conscious decision not to apply” for the role, and that he wished Whittenburg and team the “best moving forward.”

Gambardella was hired as COO in May '19 but later assumed interim CEO duties after Keith Enlow resigned in June '19. In April, USA Shooting received a $500,000 commitment from the Hal & Jean Glassen Memorial Foundation to support youth programming.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is celebrating his 50th birthday today, and Golf Channel this morning reflected on his tenure. Anna Whiteley noted Monahan “has led the way in continuing to increase purse sizes and media coverage for the PGA Tour and embraced the way that social media and creative marketing can grow the game.” Robert Damron noted the tour is facing a “very important and transitional time” amid the coronavirus pandemic, so his legacy “probably is going to be formed in most part in the next six months or so, the remainder of 2020” (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 5/7).

Harvard named Univ. of Chicago AD Erin McDermott to the same position, making her the "first woman to head Harvard Athletics" (HARVARD CRIMSON, 5/7).

West Virginia's football program has signed a deal with brand consultant Jeremy Darlow to "help educate players on personal branding." The announcement comes in the wake of expected NIL changes by the NCAA (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/7).

Panthers OT Russell Okung's unfair labor practices charge against the NFLPA was "dismissed by the National Labor Relations Board." Okung accused the NFLPA of, among other things, "violating its own voting procedures during the CBA ratification process" (TWITTER.com, 5/7).

Penn National Gaming after reporting Q1 earnings said that the Barstool Sportsbook app "will be launched in Q3" (SEEKINGALPHA.com, 5/7).

"There is no possibility of that happening. It has never been discussed by Major League Baseball. We live in the East. We play in the East. Our travel will be in the East" -- Braves Chair Terry McGuirk, dismissing the idea of the team moving to an altered MLB Central (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 5/7).

"I’m not surprised that Jordan tops the list because Jordan made shoes fashionable" -- FS1’s Shannon Sharpe, on the Air Jordan 11’s being ranked as the best sneakers in NBA history (“Undisputed,” FS1, 5/7).

“We didn't really have many fans in the minor leagues come to the games. We’ve played in front of some empty stadiums before. ... I hope we can play more than 100 games this year" -- Mets 1B Pete Alonso, on various return-to-play scenarios for MLB (“CBS This Morning,” 5/7).

At least one MLB ownership group has instructed its front office to cut its payroll in 2021. A lot of club execs expect others to follow. The youngest players (who are paid little, per CBA agreement) and the players with existing long-term deals won't necessarily be affected.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 7, 2020

MLB’s target date to return is early July, and if it can be done some like the idea of July 4 for symbolism. But that’s a hope for now and far from a certainty. Any early July date depends on data, health concerns and testing availability. @trevorplouffe recently mentioned July 1

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 7, 2020

Breaking News: Nevada Gaming Commission unanimously approved the Gaming Control guidelines and procedures for reopening Nevada's casinos - both large and small @CDCNewswire

— Howard Stutz (@howardstutz) May 7, 2020

Sources: The Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden expected to feature the following matchups this December:

- No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 15 Rutgers
- No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 20 Tennessee

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 7, 2020

I hit the video conferencing cycle today

Had meetings using 4 platforms

-Microsoft Teams
-Zoom
-Ring Central
-Cisco WebEx

Anyone else use them all in one day?

Is there another major platform that deserves inclusion to make “the cycle” more of a challenge? FaceTime?

— Patrick Ryan (@PRyanTexas) May 7, 2020

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

It’s schedule release day 👀

And we’re doing things a little different this time around.

#Saints | @SeatGeek pic.twitter.com/aj4vMCPUc1

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 7, 2020

The Legend of Nick Saban's Computer Skills grows. @KirbySmartUGA and @CoachWMuschamp shared another epic story with @AdamZuckerCBS.

Watch the full conversation on CBS Sports Connected tonight at 8ET on CBS Sports Network. pic.twitter.com/zo9GakOW3G

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) May 7, 2020

Mark Cuban will appear on NBC's "A Little Late With Lilly Singh" at 1:35am ET.

40,000 -- Average viewership on ESPN2 for the NBA2K League's first night of the season on Tuesday. The four-hour telecast was from 7:00-11:00pm ET (TWITTER.com, 5/7).