THE HOT CORNER

1

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Johnny Rodgers, the 1972 Heisman Trophy winner and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, was in an Omaha hospital intensive care unit Monday with COVID-19. Rodgers’ business partner, Denny Drake, said the Cornhuskers’ football great was hospitalized Thanksgiving with the virus. Rodgers took a turn for the worse last week and was placed in the ICU. Rodgers, 70, has since improved and is“feeling much better,” Drake said.

2

OLYMPICS: Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner said Sunday he is skipping the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he had been expected to play for Sweden. Lehner, 30, cited health reasons for skipping the Winter Games in Beijing. He is a longtime mental health advocate who has been open about his bipolar disorder and his own struggles off the ice.

3

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: The New York Liberty and coach Walt Hopkins parted ways Monday, less than two years after he was hired. Hopkins led the Liberty to the playoffs this season after going 2-20 his first year. New York was 12-20 this season before losing to Phoenix 83-82 in the opening round of the playoffs on a free throw in the last few seconds.

4

SOCCER: Visiting soccer fans will be banned from games in Belgium until the end of the year after two matches were marred by violence over the weekend, the Belgian league said Monday. Flares were thrown at the two games, and fans ran on to the field in what the league called “unacceptable and even criminal behavior.”

5

TENNIS: Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, will take a mental break from tennis and sit out the start of next season, including the Australian Open, saying Monday she wants to“reset, recover, and grow”after a “challenging” two years that included getting COVID-19.