Molly Qerim’s sudden departure from ESPN on Monday night came as a surprise to many. That included Stephen A. Smith, who addressed his longtime co-host’s departure during Tuesday’s episode of his eponymous SiriusXM show.
“The details, quite frankly, are none of y’all business,” Smith said. “But it’s not as if I know all the details. It was a contract negotiation that was going on. ESPN certainly did not want to lose her. But in the end, she made a decision to walk away from the show effective immediately.”
Smith added, “To be blunt, it came as a shock. I was not aware that this is something she was contemplating doing. But in the end, she made her decision, and we have to move on as a show. I don’t like it. I’m not happy about it because I appreciate her and what she has meant to me, what she has meant to the show, what she has meant to the network, what she has meant to the business. And I’m gonna miss her. It’s just that simple. But we all make decisions that we deem to be in our best interest for whatever reason. And that story is for her to tell.”
The First Take star then said he was moving on from discussing Qerim before launching into a lengthy rant that still centered on the subject of contract negotiations. On multiple occasions, he reiterated that the comments weren’t related to his now-former First Take co-host, although the on-screen chyron still read “Molly Qerim announces departure from ESPN, ‘First Take.'”
“This part is not about Molly. This part is about this industry, because I know there’s a lot of people who look at sports and you think you can do this every day,” Smith said. “News for you: you can’t wake up and be Mad Dog Russo. You can’t wake up and be Adam Schein. You can’t wake up and be Stephen A. It takes work. It’s not just about what you know. It’s about what you know about your audience and how you deliver a product to your audience that they’re receptive to and they want to embrace and they want to magnetize themselves to moving forward.”
The former Philadelphia Inquirer columnist went on to point to YouTube and podcasting as avenues through which aspiring sports media personalities have attempted to build their careers while being their own bosses. Smith, however, stated that everybody has to answer to somebody before, once again referencing the current situation involving Qerim.
“I know this subject is piggybacking off of what has happened with Molly’s abrupt resignation, per se. But it is important to point out that it doesn’t have to be about her,” he said. “When you have negotiations and you’re talking with people and you’re going back and forth and you’re hearing things you may not want to hear or you’re feeling things you may not want to feel, even though you’re valued, even though people acknowledge those kind of things, we live in a world here we have to grow up.
“And again, I’m not talking about Molly here. But I’m watching, and I’ve been watching over the last several years, people in this business fall by the wayside. Because we forget that all of us ultimately answer to someone. We don’t get to define our own value. We don’t get to define our own worth. We don’t get to sit there and summarily say, ‘this is who I am and this is what I’m going to do, and guess what, I don’t give a damn what anybody says’ unless you have the leverage to do it. Because business is all about leverage.”
Smith then drew on his own contract negotiations, reiterating that his mindset has been “how do I make my bosses more money?” and “how do I get some of it?” He once again reiterated that he wasn’t talking about Qerim and that it was a generalized rant aimed at others he has seen become irrelevant within the industry in recent years.
That may very well be the case, but the fact that Qerim’s departure from ESPN served as the jumping-off point for Smith’s rant certainly raises no shortage of questions. Especially considering the abrupt nature of her resignation and Smith’s confirmation that it came amid contract negotiations.
At this point, there’s far more that’s unknown than known about Qerim’s ESPN exit. And based on Smith’s comments, it will certainly be worth monitoring what is ultimately made public and where she goes from here.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.