ESPN has promoted Greg McElroy to its college football “B” team; a new role for Rachel Nichols. Plus: ESPN vows to keep its insiders away from sports betting operation; ACC exploring the additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU.
Greg McElroy elevated to No. 2 analyst for ESPN
ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy has been promoted to the network’s #2 broadcast team alongside play-by-play voice Sean McDonough and sideline reporter Molly McGrath, it was announced Wednesday. Sports Illustated was first to report the news. McElroy, who has been with ESPN since joining SEC Network in 2014, is filling the vacancy left by Todd Blackledge, who left to join NBC’s lead Big Ten team earlier this year.
McElroy previously worked with Joe Tessitore and Katie George. He will be replaced on that team by Jesse Palmer, who had been a studio analyst in recent years.
ESPN released its full lineup of college football broadcast teams on Wednesday, with other changes including Robert Griffin III joining Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick replacing Griffin alongside Mark Jones. (SI, 8.9)
Rachel Nichols to join FS1 debate show
Showtime host Rachel Nichols will join a rotating cast of guests on FS1 morning show “Undisputed,” Sports Business Journal reported Wednesday. Nichols will be part of a rotation that includes Amazon NFL analyst Richard Sherman and performer Lil Wayne in filling the vacancy left by Shannon Sharpe. “Undisputed” has been off the air since his departure.
Since leaving ESPN following her controversy with Maria Taylor, Nichols has hosted an interview series on Showtime and accepted a position at Monumental Sports Network, the rebranded Washington D.C. RSN formerly known as NBC Sports Washington.
FS1 is reportedly also courting Michael Irvin or Keyshawn Johnson for recurring roles on the show. (SBJ 8.9)
ESPN insiders to be separated from gambling operation
ESPN will prevent its various “insiders” — including Adam Schefter, Adrian Wojnarowski, and Jeff Passan — from appearing in its gambling-related content, Front Office Sports reported Wednesday. The news comes in the wake of ESPN’s agreement with Penn Entertainment to launch an ESPN-branded sportsbook later this year.
There is recent precedent of the lines being blurred between journalism and gambling. Shams Charania, who works in part for FanDuel, caused a massive shift in the betting odds for an NBA Draft pick this year when he reported that NBA draft prospect Scoot Henderson was gaining momentum to be drafted second overall. When Brandon Miller was ultimately picked instead, it was cause to question the ethics of having an insider work directly for a sportsbook. (FOS, 8.8)
SMU also under consideration from ACC
ACC athletic directors and presidents are this week weighing the possible addition of SMU, in addition to their previously reported consideration of Stanford and Cal, per multiple reports this week. The primary incentive for the ACC to add these schools is to expand in-market carriage fees for the ACC Network to both California and Texas, two states with large amounts of pay TV households.
The conference is meeting amidst the backdrop of Florida State’s publicly-expressed desire to exit. (The Athletic, 8.8)
