Chris Russo shares theory about why embarrassed Molly Qerim really left ESPN

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo believes Molly Qerim left ESPN before her contract expired at the end of this year because she didn’t want to finish the year as a “lame duck” with a potential “demotion” on the horizon.During an appearance on the “SI Media podcast” with Jimmy Traina this week, Russo explained that he was “shocked” by the “First Take” host’s abrupt departure last month — and he “assumed” she left “embarrassed” over the optics of exiting the popular show.“I think she precipitated it.

… I think, probably, she felt embarrassed,” Russo, who’s a regular analyst on “First Take,” said.“I didn’t talk to her about the specifics of why she decided as soon as it was in the Sports Business Journal, but that’s what I’m thinking — that she probably would have felt embarrassed if the world would have thought that she was a lame duck and she was still doing the show.

So, that I think that probably had a little something to do with it.”Russo explained that he was “very surprised” when Stephen A.Smith called him to share the news that Qerim would be leaving “on the night before” her exit.“I did not speak to Molly prior.

I’ve had sone conversation with her since.She was on air a long time.

I think they probably wanted to move her around a little bit and try something different,” Russo said.“Not that the ratings were bad, it’s just the nature of the beast.You’re on air forever, they like to make a change for making a change’s sake.

I think they wanted to keep Molly with the network, and I don’t know if Molly wanted to do that.Because I think Molly probably looked at as, ‘If I’m not going to do ‘First Take,’ I don’t want to do ‘SportsCenter.’ So she probably felt that that would be a demotion, I would assume.”Russo said that Qerim was “very important” to the success of “First Take” success and described her and Smith’s relationship as “a big brother, little...