The PGA of America voted last night to terminate its agreement to play the '22 PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., after a board meeting. The move comes four days after supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. “It’s become clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster will be detrimental to the PGA of America brand and will put at risk the PGA’s ability to deliver our many programs and sustain the longevity of our mission,” PGA of America President Jim Richerson said in a statement last night. Richerson and the PGA of America did not offer any alternative sites.

The NCAA’s Division I Council will meet today under different circumstances than it expected as the annual convention opens. The council, a group of 40 athletic administrators who form the NCAA’s primary rules-making body, had expected to vote today on two major pieces of legislation -- NIL and the one-time transfer rule. However, NCAA President Mark Emmert has called on the council to delay its vote on the two measures because of warnings by the Department of Justice about antitrust compliance.

The D-I Council still has plans to meet virtually today and follow its agenda, including discussion of the NIL legislation and the transfer rule. Emmert strongly recommended that the council delay the vote on them, but only the council can formally table the proposals. Divisions II and III also have votes planned this week for their own NIL legislation; it remains to be seen if they will follow through on their NIL votes.

President Trump on Thursday plans to award Patriots coach Bill Belichick the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which "will represent the culmination of one of the more public relationships Trump has enjoyed with a major sports figure during the course of his presidency." Trump last month reappointed Belichick to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition and, prior to then, "welcomed Belichick and the Patriots to the White House following their Super Bowl win" against the Falcons in '17. Of the 25 Presidential Medals of Freedom that Trump has awarded or announced, 15 have been for "people known primarily for sports" (POLITICO.com, 1/10). However, one report states it is not a "certainty yet that Belichick accepts this award" (TWITTER.com, 1/11).

REACTIONS: USA TODAY goes with the header, "With Our Country In Chaos After Attack On Capitol, Donald Trump Plans Cheap Stunt." The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan tweeted, "Say it ain’t so, Bill. I sincerely hope this is Fake News." TV producer Michael Schur: "I hope neither Belichick nor Kraft ever wins another game in the NFL and the franchise is left in ruins." Bruins writer Joe Haggerty: "There's no way Bill Belichick should accept this."

James Rushton and Shay Segev will be DAZN Group co-CEOs, the streaming service announced this morning. They both will report to DAZN Exec Chair John Skipper and work out of DAZN’s London office. DAZN promoted Rushton from his current position as acting CEO, which he has held since June; it hired Segev from the sports betting company Entain. In a memo to DAZN employees this morning, Skipper wrote Segev’s experience in online gaming and software development “brings a disruptive tech expertise to DAZN that will allow us to accelerate our ambitious growth plans.”

Skipper added, “We’ll provide more details in the months ahead on how James and Shay will be working together. As CEO of a publicly traded company Shay has a transition period at Entain, so he will join DAZN when that concludes.”

The Georgia General Assembly convenes starting today, and amid big budget cuts, the "need to legalize sports betting has taken on a renewed sense of urgency." One of the "strongest muscles behind this push is Atlanta’s four major sports teams," whose proposed bill is similar to neighboring Tennessee’s model of having mobile betting "regulated under the state’s education lottery corporation." There are expected to be "three pre-filed bills" related to gambling. But a "growing possibility" is that the trio "could be placed under one proposal to avoid a potential veto from Gov. Brian Kemp" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/8).

McLaren Racing is formalizing an evaluation to potentially enter Formula E, announcing this morning that it has officially obtained an option from the series to join as a team or manufacturer in two years. McLaren CEO Zak Brown has commented in the past that the English car maker could join FE as part of him building out the racing division’s portfolio beyond Formula 1, but today’s announcement formalizes a forthcoming evaluation. The joint statement stops short of a McLaren commitment to join FE, but it will essentially now have “first dibs” on a slot starting with the ’22-23 season should it choose to do so.

McLaren will have the ability to either join as a full “factory” team, where the car company both owns and runs the team, or to partner with a pre-existing team. It has a pre-existing relationship with the series where its applied sciences division already supplies FE teams with car batteries. However, that deal expires after the ’21-22 season and McLaren will look at potentially stepping up its role with the series the season after.

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L.A. city and county officials plan to turn the "massive coronavirus testing site at Dodger Stadium into a vaccination distribution center this week, with officials hoping to vaccinate up to 12,000 people a day when the site is fully operational." Dodger Stadium is the "largest testing site in the country, processing thousands of residents a day." The site has administered "more than 1 million tests since May." Testing operations at the ballpark will end today (L.A. TIMES, 1/11).

Saints coach Sean Payton late last week said that "he'd be fine getting slimed if his team won" as part of the Nickelodeon presentation of yesterday's Wild Card game, and he "followed through on that promise." As he started his postgame media availability after a home win against the Bears, he "told reporters that Nickelodeon was waiting on him for just that." A few minutes later, the Saints "shared the result, along with cheers and laughter." The simulcast marked the "children's network's first-ever NFL broadcast, complete with its own broadcast crew, graphics and more geared toward a younger audience" (NOLA.com, 1/10).

Fox will carry the Notre Dame-Howard men’s basketball game on its broadcast channel next Monday -- Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- with Howard alum Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson calling the game. Fox will follow the 2:30pm ET broadcast with an hour-long “Fox Sports Voices: MLK Day Special,” to be hosted by Curt Menefee and Michael Strahan. The show, which will start at 5:00pm, will highlight athlete activism in local communities and will include appearances from Pro Football HOFer Deion Sanders and WNBA coach Renee Montgomery. The show also will spotlight late U.S. Congress member and civil rights leader John Lewis.

Reflexion

Reflexion, the cognitive sports training service, will have its consumer home unit sold online through Dick's Sporting Goods beginning this month, making it the first neuro-fitness sports technology of its kind ever offered by a national retailer. The “Flex” personal home system features a 55-inch touchscreen lightboard that integrates a series of game-based drills with cloud-based data analytics. The system turns peripheral vision, decision making, reaction time and hand-eye coordination into measurable, tangible skills that can be analyzed and enhanced.

The wall-mounted touchscreen unit doubles as an HDTV. The Flex will provide home users an experience similar to what they would receive at a gym or training center when using Reflexion’s “Edge,” a larger unit geared toward group and team environments. Reflexion’s technology is currently being used by collegiate athletic departments and researchers at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Penn State and Duke, among others.

The Consumer Electronics Show kicks off today, and the annual splashy tech conference "will be online only for the first time in its 54-year history due to Covid-19." Home automation, health and 5G "will once again be buzzy topics, but many companies will also introduce pandemic-specific features" (CNN.com, 1/10). This year's show is "comprised of 1,800 exhibitors (compared to more than 4,000 last year)." Consumer Technology Association VP/Research Steve Koenig said that organizers "drew on inspiration from what was happening in the entertainment and sports sectors throughout the pandemic" (ABCNEWS.com, 1/11).

Attendees "will be greeted on the CES home page by live videos -- à la Sportscenter -- hosted by personalities who will deliver news updates and give advice on how to navigate the online venue" (USA TODAY, 1/10).

The Heat-Celtics game scheduled for last night was postponed “when the Heat did not have enough available players because of the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols.” It marked the “second game of the season postponed after the protocols left a team short-handed” (N.Y. TIMES, 1/11).

Simplebet has launched the first in-play, fully automated real money Micro-Market betting offering in the U.S., which will be made available in DC via its partnership with Intralot (Simplebet).

MGM Resorts today "will furlough 140 managers" due to a "dip in business" at its gambling and entertainment properties (RENO GAZETTE JOURNAL, 1/8).

“I’ve missed countless volleyball and football events and I’d like to help coach my son’s football team. There’s a lot that goes on with kids in club sports and I don’t want to miss any more of that” -- Outgoing Broncos VP/Player Personnel Matt Russell, who is retiring after 19 years in the NFL (DENVER POST, 1/10).

“They chose Abu Dhabi, which Dana now calls the ‘fight capital of the world,’ though I would say that belongs to Twitter” -- Actor Dolph Lundgren, on UFC President Dana White creating “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi (“Fighters Only World Mixed Martial Arts Awards,” CBSSN, 1/8).

“After this week of news, the NFL playoffs are going to feel like watching ‘Antiques Road Show’” -- NBC’s Jimmy Fallon (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 1/8).

The N.Y. TIMES goes with the header, "For Pro Athlete Leading Social Justice Push, A Victory And Uncertainty." The searing events of last week "provided yet another reminder to the WNBA and its ubiquitous athlete activists that there is always more to be done." Nobody "knows this better than" Dream F Elizabeth Williams. Unless you are a "serious fan of women’s basketball, you probably do not know of Williams." In an era in which athletes are "taking star turns for speaking up for justice, she should be a household name."

Also:

• N.Y. DAILY NEWS: "The Texans Are The Laughingstock Of The NFL."
• The Players Alliance "gave away ‘good vibes’ and more in Oak Cliff."
• How did it "become normal" for sports journalists to cover politics?

This weekend everybody watched Nickelodeon and the Browns and Bills both won NFL Playoff games. It’s truly like we’re all back in the early 90’s.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) January 11, 2021

an NFL broadcast on Bravo would be basically the exact opposite of this

— Nicole Auerbach 😷 (@NicoleAuerbach) January 10, 2021

Tournament officials at the Honda (March 18-21) plan to welcome back a limited number of fans. Attendance numbers TBD, but the Bear Trap area will be “reimagined” into 3 sections with socially distanced blocks of 2/4 seats. pic.twitter.com/aL3kLGYeHf

— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) January 11, 2021

During this crisis impacting the sports business, we want everyone to be up-to-date on the latest news and information. Here are the top headlines from Friday night's SBJ Unpacks: NFL Clears Browns To Return To Team Facility.

• Browns Return To Team Facility Two Days Ahead Of Playoff Game
• New HBO Doc Goes Deep On Legend Of Tiger Woods
• Australian Open Planning For Fans As Tournament Start Nears

More from SBJ Betting: Stage Is Set For New York To Go Mobile.

• Cuomo Now Sees Opportunity With Mobile Sports Betting
• Next Steps To Get New York Mobile Betting Rolling?
• Oversight Remains Key Issue Holding Up Ohio Sports Betting

More from SBJ Media: Dan Le Batard, John Skipper Teaming Up.

• Former ESPNers Will Launch New Entity Focused On Sports

Some of the top news items from yesterday's edition of Weekend Rap:

• Tokyo Games in doubt as Japan declares state of emergency.
• Warriors lay off 10% of business-side employees.
• Lightning, Raptors hit pause on hosting fans at Amalie Arena.
• NFL Combine "questionable"; status could be decided this week.

This week's In-Depth is on Data & Analytics Insights. Look for upcoming sections on:

• Jan. 18: Technology -- Cutting-Edge Wearables & CES Takeaways
• Jan. 25: Facilities -- Construction & Design in '21
• Feb. 1: Super Bowl Preview

Also, see this week's SBJ for stories on ...

• With or without fans, NHL teams face season-ticket dilemma.
• Local NFL ratings show the struggles in New York and L.A.
• Unofficial merchandise eats into esports teams’ revenue.

Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was "Women & Science."

“Dr. Margaret Todd gave science this word for different forms of one basic substance; it’s from the Greek for 'equal' & 'place.'”

"What is isotope?"

This was the final taped episode with late host Alex Trebek, and it featured a video montage at the end of the broadcast of moments from his long career with the show. The episode ended with the on-screen message, “Dedicated to Alex Trebek. Forever in our hearts. Always our inspiration" (“Jeopardy,” 1/8).