CBS Cuts Odds Expert Sheridan From College Football Coverage

CBS has dumped point-spread expert Danny Sheridan from its pregame college football television coverage, CBS Sports President Sean McManus said Tuesday.

“In my opinion, his on-air performance was subpar, his information spotty and the perception that he was an oddsmaker made him someone we at CBS didn’t want any part of,” McManus said.

Sheridan is not an oddsmaker, but he writes books and newspaper columns about point spreads, puts out a newsletter about point spreads and has his own 900 telephone number. His hiring last fall by the previous CBS Sports regime drew criticism because of Sheridan’s association with gambling.

McManus and executive producer Terry Ewert now head up CBS Sports.

McManus was in Pasadena on Tuesday to participate in the national Television Critics Assn. press tour. McManus announced a lineup of hosts for CBS’ coverage of the 1998 Winter Olympics at Nagano, Japan, which includes Pat O’Brien (late night), Andrea Joyce and Bill Macatee (weekend daytime), and Mark McEwen and Jane Robelot (weekday daytime). It was earlier announced that Jim Nantz would be the prime-time host.